


Never Needed Anything More

by momentofchaos



Series: Brought Me to You [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Babies, Bus Kids - Freeform, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, One Shot Collection, Pets, Team as Family, Tropes, Wedding, less trauma for everyone, proposal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 65,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26239489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momentofchaos/pseuds/momentofchaos
Summary: A collection of one shots from the To Live for the Hope of It All Coffee Shop AU. Probably need to read that first.Won't be completely chronological but it should be clear where they fit in.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Series: Brought Me to You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895848
Comments: 183
Kudos: 231





	1. Heart Full of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had they been in New York, Daniel would have been sure to wrap up with a large coat, multiple jumpers along with a scarf and possibly a hat. But California was slightly different in February, although the beach was slightly foggy and the grey skies threatened rain, it wasn’t particularly cold. He walked hand in hand with Daisy down the beach, which had been her idea entirely. In one week, Daniel’s newest book was due for release, an early release as Peggy and the marketing team had expedited the usual processes for his new series. Therefore, Daniel was starting to get stressed, even if he didn’t look it.

Had they been in New York, Daniel would have been sure to wrap up with a large coat, multiple jumpers along with a scarf and possibly a hat. But California was slightly different in February, although the beach was slightly foggy and the grey skies threatened rain, it wasn’t particularly cold. He walked hand in hand with Daisy down the beach, which had been her idea entirely. In one week, Daniel’s newest book was due for release, an early release as Peggy and the marketing team had expedited the usual processes for his new series. Therefore, Daniel was starting to get stressed, even if he didn’t look it. Daisy seemed to be the only one who picked up on it, but then again, they did spend more time together than with anyone else. After the holidays, their relationship had shifted, become more romantic and they very easily fell into the rhythm of being a couple. They still made many visits to the Lighthouse, but more coffee was consumed within the walls of both of their apartments. It hadn’t taken Daisy long to sense the changes in Daniel. The way he paced more instead of standing still when waiting for the coffee to brew in the morning, or the way he fidgeted while they watched TV. She had done her best to distract him, and that always worked but the anxiety he was exhibiting continued to grow as the publication date neared.

She had suggested they walk to the Lighthouse that morning rather than drive, which she knew he enjoyed from when he first moved to town. He insisted on bringing an umbrella when he saw the sky darken, and was now carrying it in his right hand, his left hand interlocked with her own. She noticed him watching the surfer’s bobbing around in the ocean, and the thought of being in the dark freezing water sent a shiver down her spine. Daniel obviously felt her shiver and laughed slightly, clearly thinking a similar thought. He pulled her close, and she snuggled into his side. They turned away from the beach and began to wander toward the coffee shop. Daisy took her phone out and checked it before shoving it quickly back into her pocket, which seemed a little weird to Daniel, but he didn’t mention it. They strolled through the park and she looped her arm around his.

On arrival at the Lighthouse, Daniel held the door open for Daisy as he always did, but he was not quite prepared for what happened next. Before he could realise what was happening, three children ran through the coffee shop and tackled him to the floor.

“SURPRISE UNCLE DANIEL” the three voices shouted while piled on top of the author, who was sprawled on the floor in front of the counter. With the realisation of who it was, who had attacked him at speed, he wrapped his arms around his nieces and nephew as he sat up.

“What- how- why- when?” he spluttered, looking to Daisy who had a knowing smile plastered on her face, phone out recording the reunion. His eyes then flickered to the sofas, where he saw his sisters and father patiently waiting to greet him. He squeezed the kids tightly, before they all scrambled up off the floor, each reaching a hand out to help Daniel off the floor, something they had picked up from their mother’s.

He was immediately met by each of his sisters, who embraced him with almost as much force as the kids, which meant he reached out a hand to balance himself on the counter surface, before squeezing them tightly.

“How are you guys here?” he asked still in disbelief that his two worlds were colliding like this.

Sarah turned and pointed to Daisy who was greeting Joseph Sousa at the time.

“You have your wonderful girlfriend to thank for this, Daniel. She reached out and said you could use a distraction, so here we are.” She smiled widely as they tugged him over to the sofas where the kids were huddled drinking hot chocolate.

“Hi Pops,” he said, embracing his father. “I can’t believe you kept this from me! I talked to you yesterday.”

“Well son, sometimes you just need family. Daisy said you were stressed about the book launch, so here we are.” His father said, one hand resting on his son’s shoulder. Daniel span around to meet Daisy’s eyes, taking her hands in his and pulling her closer.

“You organised all this?” Daisy nodded, not quite reaching his eyes.

“I didn’t want to overstep, but I know what I would want and need in this situation. And I know you.” She said, slightly nervous but confident in her sentiment.

He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.” He pressed a kiss to her lips, and she relaxed against him. They broke apart to hear his nephew squirming in disgust. Daniel chuckled slightly, untangled himself from Daisy, walking over to scoop up the young boy. “Alright Mister, you’ve got to tell me all about that new train set you got for your birthday.”

Daisy watched as the man doted on his nephew, the perfect uncle. The warm feeling glowed in her chest, a fire that never really went out when Daniel was around anyway.

* * *

The rest of the week was filled with trips to the museums and the aquarium, Daniel being dragged around by the children as Daisy bonded with his sisters. At first, she had been apprehensive to meet the two women closest to Daniel, scared how they’d react to her being in his life. That worry was quickly squashed when she met the two women, however. They both welcomed her with open arms, glad that she cared for their brother so much. She quickly learnt that Sophie had the same humour as Daniel, quick witted and creative. Sarah was a bit more reserved but was easy-going and caring. They talked for hours, teasing Daniel or about their childhood experiences.

One evening after trawling around San Francisco, Daniel had promised to build a fort with the kids. Daisy had entered his apartment to hear squealing and giggles, only to find a full on pillow fight happening in the living room. She took in the site of Daniel chasing his niece Harper, around the couch as fast as he could before scooping her and tossing her onto the giant pile of pillows in the middle of the room, where her mother was currently resting. He then took up chase again of his oldest niece Amelia, who was a cunning and strategic beyond her 8 years of life. Upon spotting Daisy by the door, she slid on the floor in her sock covered feet and hid behind her, sure her Uncle Daniel wouldn’t mess with his own girlfriend. Daniel stood up on realising Daisy had arrived and looked at her amused face. She saw the redness in his cheeks, but the pure joy spread across his face showed he was having the time of his life. She carefully put down her handbag and the bottle of wine she brought to share with Sarah and Sophie, making sure Amelia stayed behind her the whole time. Daisy bent down next to the girl and whispered something to the girl, who giggled and passed Daisy one of the pillows she was currently holding. With a quick nod, they both set off in opposite directions, before turning on their heels to both run directly at Daniel from different angles, pillows poised to attack. Taken off guard, Daniel felt the attack and fell over the back of the couch, army rolling onto the pile of pillows.

“Now Amelia!” Daisy said and boosted the small girl over the couch so she could chase her uncle. The smiles were wide and the laughter loud from all parties as everyone ganged up on Daniel, hitting him with pillows until he held his hands up in surrender.

“OK, OK! WHO WANTS ICE CREAM?” Daniel shouted, and everyone came to a standstill. A quick look between the children and they all leapt up off the ground and stood to attention, just off the pillows. Daniel laughed and moved to get up, just as a pillow was hurled at his head. Everyone looked at Sophie.

“What? I’m an adult, I can eat ice cream whenever I want.”

And the rest of the evening was spent building forts, with sheet strung from ever surface of the apartment and watching Disney movies. Daisy snuggled against Daniel’s side and the felt the man relax completely.

* * *

Daisy opened her eyes the next morning to see Daniel sat leaning against the headboard of his bed, scrolling through something on his tablet, hair still a mess from sleeping. He normally woke up earlier than her, but he this time was different. She moved from beneath the sheets and leant her head on his arm to get a look at what he was doing.

“Good morning” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her head.

“Hi,” she replied, still half asleep, “What are you doing?”

“Peggy sent me the numbers for online pre-orders and stuff. It’s trending on the Amazon fiction list. We won’t know more till next week when the rankings come out next week.” He said, putting the tablet on the nightstand, and turning towards her slightly.

“I’m proud of you Daniel.” She whispered, looking into his eye, which sparkled in response. He closed the distance between them and met her lips with his. When she pulled away a few minutes later, she sighed.

“As nice as this is right now, here with you, we have to meet your family for breakfast.” She confessed resting her head on his shoulder briefly, before rolling over to get out of the bed. He caught her wrist and pulled her back to him in one swift motion. Caught off guard, Daisy fell back on to the bed, to be met by Daniel pulling her into a deep kiss.

“I love you.” He said, no nervousness in his tone at all. A complete, genuine statement. It took Daisy by surprise, she wasn’t expecting this right now. This relationship had been the best thing in her life, the way he treated her and made her feel was like nothing she had experience before. She knew she felt the same, knew she loved the man before her with her heart. But a part of her wanted to run at the idea of this commitment, she’d been let down before. This lasted for a fleeting moment as she met his dark brown eyes, that were sparkling above her.

“I love you too.” She said, feeling something release in her chest. She giggled slightly as she reached up to kiss him again. Maybe they could be slightly late to breakfast.

* * *

When they made it to the Lighthouse, Daniel was surprised to see balloons and what looked like a homemade banner from the kids, wishing him a Happy Book Day. He smiled widely when he saw Coulson, May and Fitzsimmons interacting with his own family. When Amelia darted toward him, he expected her to tackle him like she had done previously but instead she skipped straight past him and threw herself at Daisy instead. Daisy easily scooped the girl up and held her close, looking to Daniel. He feigned insult at the direct betrayal of his niece but couldn’t hide the huge grin on his face that she felt so comfortable around his girlfriend. He instead wandered towards the gathering by the unlit fireplace. He received a round of applause as he approached which was slightly embarrassing in front of the other patrons of the shop, but his family didn’t care.

They had breakfast and chatted about the book, and the flights his family were boarding this afternoon to head back to New York.

“You know Daniel, there was talks of whales in the bay this morning. That might be a nice thing to go and see today. You could do the golden gate bridge again at the same time.” Coulson said, as he sipped his coffee.

“There are whales in San Francisco?” Harper exclaimed, looking from Coulson to Daniel repeatedly. She loved animals and had spent their trip to the zoo telling her entire family about them in great detail.

“I think so, Harps. Jemma would probably be able to tell you what types, if you ask nicely.” Daniel said pointing to the biologist who was talking to Sophie at the end of the sofa. With this Harper, ran over and started asking Jemma questions about whales, and she seemed to answer happily. Daniel couldn’t stop smiling, he adored his family and moving away from them had been the hardest thing about moving to the opposite coast. But the life he had here and now, was something he wouldn’t change for anything. He had enjoyed introducing his family to this part of his life, and he knew they had also enjoyed the visit.

Watching as Daisy laughed at something his father had said, with Amelia tucked into her side, his whole soul felt light. It didn’t matter if his book took off or not, he’d write it anyway. The words poured out of him with the inspiration that surrounded him every day. The adventures of Skye and her team were just beginning, just as he felt his were with the women he loved by his side and his heart full of hope.


	2. An Invitation to a Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn’t that Daniel hated Howard Stark, but he just wasn’t his favourite person on the planet. He was entitled and obnoxious and although he had calmed down considerably since his son had been born, Daniel struggled to see him as a normal person. Since Howard also had redeeming qualities and as one of Peggy’s best friends, they had spent some time together. Although, Peggy was always the first person to put him in his place, with a stern look that implied no nonsense. In fact, the only reason Daniel was considering going to the Stark Ball was the phone call he’d received from Peggy insisting he attend, as she would be flying out with Steve to be there. Daniel fiddled with the gold embossed invitation that he had put in a drawer in his desk after Jarvis had hand delivered it to his door two days previous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big old long one
> 
> hope you enjoy! obviously a few more characters in here so we're under the assumption that Tony is 15/16 and Howard is a good father of a teen genius in this universe.

It wasn’t that Daniel hated Howard Stark, but he just wasn’t his favourite person on the planet. He was entitled and obnoxious and although he had calmed down considerably since his son had been born, Daniel struggled to see him as a normal person. Since Howard also had redeeming qualities and as one of Peggy’s best friends, they had spent some time together. Although, Peggy was always the first person to put him in his place, with a stern look that implied no nonsense. In fact, the only reason Daniel was considering going to the Stark Ball was the phone call he’d received from Peggy insisting he attend, as she would be flying out with Steve to be there. Daniel fiddled with the gold embossed invitation that he had put in a drawer in his desk after Jarvis had hand delivered it to his door two days previous.

“What’s that Daniel?” Daisy was leaning against the doorframe of his office, dressed in one of his shirts, hair piled on the top of her head, holding two cups of coffee. He still wasn’t quite used to waking up next to her, he felt like he’d won the lottery and been struck by lightning all at the same time, with how lucky he was to call her his girlfriend.

“It’s an invitation. To a ball.” He said, as she walked towards him, setting the coffee down on his desk, before perching on the edge of it, feet on his knee to balance herself. “At Howard Stark’s.” he added, watching her eyes widen slightly before she recomposed herself to have a neutral look on her face.

“Oh, very interesting. Are you going to go?” Daisy inquired, taking a sip of her coffee, watching carefully as Daniel reread the invitation. His face was unimpressed, but he handed it to her as he took the other cup off his desk.

“I’m not sure, Peggy rang me while you were still asleep and started insisting that I need to go. She’s flying in with Steve.” He said, throwing a weary smile at Daisy.

“You should go, you’ll get to see your friends. Is Thompson coming?” Daniel had told Daisy about Jack Thompson, another writer that belonged to the same publishing house as Daniel. He’d kind of been an ass when Daniel first met him, arrogant and self-absorbed but over the years they had become friends.

“Yeah, he’s in LA at the moment anyway and has said he’d make an appearance apparently.” Daniel said, still looking slightly put out at the idea. Daisy took his coffee cup of him, placed it down on the desk, before sitting across his lap. Automatically, Daniel wrapped one hand around her back and the other hand was placed on her thigh.

“You should go. You’d have fun.” She told him, cupping his face in her hands. Daniel met her eyes and knew she was being genuine, not a hint of her usual sarcasm in her tone.

“Maybe I just need some good company.” He sat up more, making sure he didn’t unbalance Daisy as he did so. “Miss Johnson, will you go to the ball with me?”

“Why Mr Sousa, I thought you’d never ask!” Daisy replied somewhat sarcastically, but kissing him deeply all the same.

* * *

After that, Daisy panicked slightly. What do you wear to a ball? Daniel had been less than helpful in answering that particular question, just stating that the invitation stated Black Tie. She had sighed in frustration and picked up her phone. One quick call to Peggy had informed her that since it was a Stark party, she couldn’t overdo it on the glitz and glamour front. She thanked the woman for her insight and immediately sent an SOS message to the girls. And that’s how she found herself walking into a high end boutique, flanked by Jemma and Bobbi the next day.

Bobbi knew the owner somehow, and they’d managed to schedule a last minute dress fitting with a professional shopper, who had introduced herself as Rebecca. She looked around the racks of dresses, slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of choosing one to be appropriate for the biggest party she had ever attended. One wide-eyed look at Bobbi and she was rushed into a dressing room, where Bobbi and Rebecca started hanging up dresses for her to try on. She took a deep breath and began putting on each gown. Bobbi was now sat beside Jemma on a sofa, ready to voice an opinion on each dress she tried on. Jemma was taking pictures of each outfit and sending them to Elena, to keep her in the loop while she was teaching a class.

Daisy felt as if she had tried all the dresses in the world at some point. Many didn’t feel right and the main black number she liked the most had been deemed not glamorous enough for the event in question. The final dress was hanging in a bag in the dressing room. She unzipped it and gasped slightly at the beautiful fabric. Putting it on, she felt confident. And the reaction from her friends confirmed it.

* * *

Daniel arrived at Daisy’s slightly earlier than the town car was due to arrive. He let himself into her apartment, as he knew she would be busy getting ready still. Punctuality wasn’t one of her strongest traits. To his surprise, Mack, Fitz and Hunter were chatting in the kitchen and whirled round when he shut the front door behind him. Hunter was the first to open his mouth upon seeing the shocked look on his face.

“Mate all our girlfriends are here, helping to get yours ready. We only came for the beer. They’ve been in there for hours.”

“Well I wouldn’t expect to find you anywhere but where the closest beer was, Hunter,” earning a laugh from the other guys.

“You’re looking sharp though Sousa.” Mack said, gesturing to the tuxedo he had on. It wasn’t Daniel’s favourite kind of fashion, but he did take pride in looking his best tonight.

“I only need to look half as good as my date will no doubt look.” Sousa said, pouring himself a glass of water.

“I still can’t believe you know Howard and Tony Stark. I’d kill to see the inside of their lab.” Fitz confessed.

“I only really know them through Peggy, she used to work with Howard before she started up the publishing house.” Daniel said, shaking his head slightly. The guys descended into gentle chatter for a few minutes, until they heard the tell-tale sound of heels stalking down the hallway. Daniel moved from his spot by the kitchen counter to meet his girlfriend.

“Wow,” was all he could say when he saw her, she had rendered him speechless. The floor length rose-gold sequined gown hugged her figure, low cut and exposing the entirety of her shoulders and delicate collarbones. A slit up the left leg ended half way up her thigh. She was gorgeous, and elegant. Her hair cascaded down her back, tucked behind her ears from which hung a pair of gold earring he had never seen before. Daniel took a deep breath as she approached him, literally looking her up and down, taking it all in.

“My eyes are up here Danny boy,” Daisy said, teasing her boyfriend, who was stood stock still.

“You’re beautiful,” he managed to get out, his breath tight in his chest as she got closer to him.

“You’re not looking too bad yourself Sousa.” She said, brushing something off the shoulder of his tuxedo, eyes glinting as she drew herself closer to him. Hands on his chest, she kissed him, and as he moved to deepen the kiss, Hunter’s voice came from the kitchen.

“Alright, we don’t need to see all of that.” The pair turned towards the small audience of people that had gathered in the kitchen. Bobbi flicked Hunter with a tea towel, as punishment for ruining the moment.

“Mack, you owe me $10 dollars, I said she’d kiss him first.” Elena said, hand held outstretched towards her boyfriend, who sighed and handed over the cash.

Daniel tightened his grip around Daisy’s waist, “We should probably get going, the car will be outside now.” Daisy nodded and reached for her clutch bag, but Jemma jumped up before they left.

“Pictures first, we have got to capture the moment.” She exclaimed, pulling her phone out of her pocket. It was Jemma’s new obsession to take pictures of that everyone had to deal with, Fitz most of all.

Daniel and Daisy posed for a few minutes smiling wide and trying to make the other laugh, which at this point wasn’t difficult. Once Jemma was satisfied, the couple said goodbye after their friends promised to lock up the apartment after themselves. Sat in the town car, as it took off down the coast, Daniel looked over to the beautiful woman sat beside him, and realised he was the luckiest man alive.

* * *

Daisy should have expected there would be paparazzi at an event like this, especially one but on by Howard Stark, the billionaire. As the driver pulled up to the front of the house, Daisy could make out the flashing lights of photographers through the tinted windows on her side of the car. She took a deep breath, which made Daniel turn to her, grabbing her hand.

“Are you okay with this? I should have warned you about the press.” He said apologetically, giving her hand a squeeze. They weren’t exactly splashing their relationship on social media, as Daniel had a very basic presence on their for marketing of his books mainly, choosing to keep his personal life private and Daisy didn’t want to intrude on that. Guess that was going out of the window tonight.

“Yeah, it’s fine I didn’t even think about stuff like this. I guess you’ve done stuff like this a lot?” she replied, biting her lip nervously, glad she hadn’t gone with a red lip colour.

“I’ve done a few, it comes with the profession in New York.” He said, meeting her eyes. “We can go home if you want?” he offered sweetly.

“Absolutely not, I didn’t get dressed up like this to turn and go home.” She said, steeling herself with a meditation breath she had been taught by May.

“Alright then, I’ll get out this side, and then come and open your door and help you out.” And he continued as she went to interrupt, “I know you don’t need my help, it’s just a tradition.”

Daisy nodded as Daniel pressed a kiss to her cheek before ducking out of his car. When her own door opened and she took his hand, she suddenly became aware of the loud noise of the small crowd that was standing outside. People yelling names of people walking up the carpet, not many of whom Daisy recognised or had heard of. She looked to Daniel who smiled at her genuinely and reassuringly squeezed her hand again. Standing up to full height in her stilettos , still a few inches shorter than her date, Daisy held her head high and smiled despite any insecurities she was feeling. It wasn’t until the paparazzi started shouting his name and questions directed at him, that she realised how confident Daniel was in this situation.

“Daniel over here-“

“Who are you with tonight-“

“How does it feel to be on the New York best seller list again?”

He stood strong beside her nodding and smiling towards the crowd, as they walked hand in hand till one of the staff on the carpet asked them to stop and turn towards the cameras. Bright flashing lights flew up in Daisy’s vision and she looked to the man stood beside her, who was smiling at them, before he turned to look back at her. Wrapping on arm around her waist pulling her close, he whispered to her,

“I’ve learnt that the more you just smile the quicker it goes, and they’ll move onto the next victim.”

She laughed, resting a hand on his chest, lights flashing all around them, reflecting slightly in the sequins of her dress. At least if Jemma wasn’t happy with her photos, she’d have plenty more to choose from, once they were uploaded to the internet.

As they left the carpet, Daisy got her first proper look at the mansion the ball was being held in. It was over the top, stretching as far as she could see and lay in grounds of what seemed to be perfectly manicured lawn and garden. What truly took Daisy’s breath away was the ballroom, however. The decadent room was filled with people dressed to the nines, mingling and dancing under the light of several crystal chandeliers. A band was playing music for the people who were dancing around the floor, and the right side of the room seemed to be a large bar. Daisy looked around entranced, until Daniel let out a muffled chuckle.

“What are you laughing at Sousa? I’ve never been in a ballroom before, unlike certain minor celebrities.” She said in mock annoyance. Daniel laughed at the idea of him being any kind of celebrity, but she knew he had done this before, and was somewhat used to this way of life. The luxury side of it all, the clamouring of the press.

“Well then, I’m glad to be accompanying to your first ball Miss Johnson. Should we go and get a drink?” Daniel said, offering her his arm. She nodded, looping her arm through his and heading in the direction of the bar. Daniel signalled to the bartender and ordered for the both of them as Daisy continued to take in the atmosphere of the party. A familiar face began walking up to her and Daisy tapped Daniel’s shoulder to get him to turn around, gesturing to who was joining them.

“Daisy, you look incredible!” Peggy said, embracing the women briefly, careful not to crush either of their dresses. Peggy herself was wearing an incredible black lacy gown, hair over one shoulder, looking as elegant and put together as always, with her signature red lipstick. “And Daniel, you look dashing as always.” She said, giving the man a brief hug. Daisy took in the blonde man she had just realised was stood behind Peggy. Dressed in a blue tux, Daisy couldn’t deny the man was muscled and well formed, handsome in a classical way. “Oh Daisy, you haven’t met Steve have you.” Peggy added as she returned to his side. Daisy shook hands with him and offered pleasantries. He also shook Daniel’s hand, which seemed a little awkward between them, but that was to be expected. They all chatted a little as Daniel passed Daisy a flute of champagne, and clinked it with his own, the two of them sharing a smile.

It was at this moment a small familiar man came barrelling over to them, clapping one hand on Steve’s shoulder and the other on Daniel’s.

“Well, look at all of us, the band’s back together! Get Thompson and Wilkes here and it’s like the good old days!” Howard Stark exclaimed, earning a scoff from Daniel and exasperated eye roll from Peggy.

“Honestly Howard, you’re a nuisance. Why are you even holding this ball?” Peggy chastised the man.

“Come on Peg, do I really need an excuse? It’s me!” Howard said, getting a slight chuckle from both Steve and Daniel. Daisy also giggled slightly, which drew Howard’s attention to her. “And who might this gorgeous gal be?” He said, taking her hand and briefly pressing a kiss to it. Daisy was still in awe of the man in front of her, literally the genius behind a lot of technology in this era. It was Daniel who spoke up,

“This is my girlfriend Howard, Daisy” he said, emphasising the girlfriend part of his sentence.

“Oh no need to worry Danny, I’m a happily married man. Peggy has told me a bit about Daisy, here. She says you’re somewhat of a computer genius?” Daisy looked briefly at Peggy who looked at her reassuringly.

“Well I wouldn’t say genius, but I know my way through the basics. It only took me a couple hours to crack Stark Industries secure network.” She teased, finding her footing in this new social circle. It hadn’t taken her long to deduce that confidence was definitely the key with Howard Stark. Which was evident in his slightly wide-eyed expression.

“That was you? You’re The Rising Tide?” Howard said.

“I don’t think that name is in use anymore, I’m just a computer specialist now.” She winked. Daniel scoffed again, watching his girlfriend school Howard Stark was one of the most entertaining things he’d watched in while. They continued to talk shop a little bit, a quizzical expression on Steve’s face the entire time as the jargon went right over his head.

“You should talk to my son. Tony is the one that fixed the system you managed to get into.”

“Yes, Howard, where is my godson?” Peggy interjected, looking around the ballroom for him. 

“Right behind you, Aunt Peggy,” came a young voice from behind Steve. They all twirled around to see the young man approach his godmother, embracing her tightly. She pulled away and looked the boy up and down.

“Nice to see you dressed up for the occasion, Anthony. You look smart.” Peggy said, briefly adjusting his shirt collar.

“Thanks Aunt Peg,” Tony said, turning to stand on the outside of the circle of people that had gathered.

“Tones- this is Daisy. She’s the one who cracked our firewall a few years ago. The Rising Tide.” Howard nodded towards the woman.

“No way. Well I respect the talent. And the fact you didn’t steal anything.” Tony said pulling up to full height and offering his hand to the woman who shook it readily.

“Well, I was never a thief. I just liked to point out weaknesses in flawed systems and expose some dirty secrets if I found any.” Daisy said smiling at the boy, trying to joke with him.

“Actually, I’ve got a problem with the project I’m working on right now, if you’d fancy taking a look?” Tony said, pointing towards the back of the ballroom. Daisy looked over to Daniel, who shrugged his shoulders and nodded supportively. Placing her glass on the bar behind her, she turned to follow Tony, before Peggy shouted at him.

“I expect to see you back here soon Tony, I want at least one dance out of you tonight!” Tony rolled his eyes but smiled good naturedly at his Aunt.

Daisy chatted with Tony about his projects as he led her down what seemed like a maze of corridors to a frosted glass double door. He pressed his palm to the panel on one side of the door and they swung open. The lab was as impressive as would expect for the Starks, and Daisy knew two scientists who would keel over at the sight of all the shiny equipment in here.

“Good afternoon Boss, I expected you to stay at the party a little longer,” a voice came from above. Daisy looked up in shock, but Tony continued to walk towards the back of the workshop.

“It’s alright Fri, I’m going back. Daisy’s going to try and help me with that coding issue first.” He turned to see Daisy looking around slightly puzzled. “Oh, that’s just Friday, she’s my AI that runs the lab.”

“Ah, so you really are as smart as they say you are?” Daisy said following him to where he had stopped at a computer screen. She begins to try and decipher the code, recognising a few passages. Tony pointed out the problems he was having and stepped back as Daisy gathered her dress and hoisted herself onto a stool. She pulled the key board towards her and began scanning the screen. Five minutes later, she called Tony over, showed him the problem and showed him how she would fix it.

“Oh, thanks.” He said looking a little dejected as he flipped a screwdriver around in his hands.

“Don’t worry about it, you’d have found it eventually. My best friend always says sometimes you just need a second pair of eyes. She’d kill to be in this lab right now, this is her and Fitz’s dream lab.” She said, prying a small smile out of the boy.

“Yeah it’s pretty neat, Dad and I share it.” He said motioning at the two sides of the room. The right hand side was clearly Tony’s, there was books and papers piled everywhere, reminiscent of what you’d expect a teenage genius’ space to look like, whereas Howard’s was a little more organised. She noticed one wall was covered in photos and moved to have a look at it. She spotted that most of them were of the three Stark’s in various places around the world, a few with the man she knew as Jarvis and who she assumed was his wife stood with Tony. Peggy also appeared in a few, but her eyes were drawn to one picture in particular. It was a group of people laughing in a bar, Howard and Peggy on one end and two men she didn’t recognise on the other. And in the middle sat Daniel, smiling that familiar smile straight at the camera. He looked slightly younger, perhaps less wise? She smiled at the thought of Daniel as a younger man.

“We should probably get back to the party, before Aunt Peggy comes in here and kills me for not dancing with her.” Tony said, readjusting his shirt in the reflection of one of the screens that sat on the wall. He offered her his arm which she took as he spoke to Friday as they left.

“Alright Friday, power down the lab. I’ll talk to you later.”

* * *

Daniel had found a seat at a table, not far from the edge of the dance floor and was watching as Steve and Peggy danced around the dance floor, Steve occasionally stumbling over his own feet which just made Peggy laugh. Also, on the dance floor was Howard and Maria Stark, and they were drawing the most attention as the hosts of the ball. He was sipping his whiskey, when he felt someone sit down beside him.

“How you liking all this sunshine, Sousa?” the blonde man beside him said, slapping him on the shoulder.

“You know what Thompson? I love it. I’m loving this side of the country, mainly because I don’t have to see your face as much.” Daniel replied sarcastically, grinning at the site of his old friend.

“You sure it wasn’t because Carter broke your heart, with dreamboat Steve returning?” Thompson said. Daniel sucked in a breath, even though he now believed Jack Thompson wasn’t a complete ass, he always knew how to take things a step too far. Daniel knew not to hit back, that the man only wanted to get a rise out of him. They had played this game one too many times.

“The only thing that brought me out west was the need for inspiration, Jack.” His eyes lit up as Daisy re-entered the room looking around for him, the sparkling dress she was wearing glinting in the light of the ballroom’s chandelier. “And there she is now.”

He stood up as Jack followed his gaze and gave out a low whistle. “Well damn Daniel. Who is that?”

Daniel stood up as his love approached their table and kissed her cheek, wrapping his arm around her waist. “This is my girlfriend Daisy Johnson. Daisy, this is Jack Thompson.”

“Nice to meet you Jack.”

“The pleasure is all mine Miss,” Jack replied, shooting Daisy a look that Daniel recognised all too well from their days of working together, when Jack had quite the reputation with the ladies. He was just about to say something when Daisy spoke up.

“Daniel, my love. I believe I owe you a dance for running off to help Stark Junior.” She said placing a hand on his chest. And with that she headed for the dance floor, dragging Daniel after her.

The band had begun to play a slow song, as they arrived and Daisy looped her arm around Daniel’s neck, his own hands settling on her waist.

“Thanks for that, as much as he’s my friend, I do want to kill him sometimes”, Daniel murmured to her as she drew closer to him.

“Anytime Danny boy. Anytime.” She replied pressing a quick kiss to his lips as they began moving to the music. The whole world melted away around them, till they were the only people there, twirling around the dancefloor in some form of the waltz that Daniel had tried to teach to Daisy. In this whole bustling room full of people, right there and then, they only had eyes for each other, a magnetic force that had pulled them to each other that never wavered. Not much was said between the pair as they danced, the music carrying them across the dancefloor, expressing the emotions they felt for each other through the movement of their bodies. The trust that Daisy placed in Daniel for him to lead them, and the affection Daniel felt as he gently guided the women he loved through the movements.

A few songs later and the band decided to take a break, Daniel was partially glad as his leg was beginning to ache. Daisy noticed the slight grimace on his face and took his hand, leading him back to the table where Jack had previously been sat, but was nowhere to be seen right now. She picked up the clutch bag she had left on the table, pulled out her phone briefly to see a message from Jemma and one from May, both of which could be answered later.

“Do you want to head out? I think we’ve been here long enough for it to not seem rude.” Daisy suggested, motioning towards the door. It was at this moment that feedback ran through the ballroom and all eyes were drawn to Howard Stark, stood on the stage tapping a microphone, with his arm around his wife. He launched in to a big speech about how grateful he was that everyone had turned up this evening and then went off on a tangent about some new tech gizmo that he was launching in the next month. Daisy listened with interest, after grabbing two glasses of champagne off of one of the waiters and handing one to Daniel. If she’d learnt anything in life, it was to not turn down good, free booze. Daniel chuckled when she aired this sentiment but contained it as to not disrupt the speech. A final round of applause signalled the speech was over.

“We better say goodbye to Peggy and that lot before we go. I’m not getting an angry call in the morning.” Daniel said, pointing to the far side of the room where he could see Peggy stood with Steve and Thompson. They joined the group and Peggy hugged Daniel goodbye before turning to Daisy. It was at this point Jack pulled Daniel to one side.

“Look Sousa, about before. That was out of line. I’m really happy for you, Daisy seems like a great girl and seeing the way you both look at each other when you were dancing. You deserve this Daniel.” Jack said, talking low as if he didn’t want to be heard.

Daniel stared at the man in disbelief of the sentiment of what he had just said. “Thanks Jack, I appreciate it. I’m a lucky man.” They shook hands as Daisy came to Daniel’s side.

“Nice to meet you Thompson.” Daisy said, “I think our car is outside Daniel.”

And with that they headed out into the night, dressed to the nines and having had a splendid evening at a high-class soiree.

* * *

Sunlight streamed into the room the next morning, waking Daisy up. She could feel her head buzzing a little but not extraordinarily, which was good. She turned to see Daniel still asleep curled up in the sheets, one arm slung over her body. It was unusual for her to be the first one awake, so she quietly slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of Daniel’s sweats and a t-shirt. She picked her dress up off the floor, where had been unceremoniously dumped the night before and hung it up on a hangar on the back of the door. She looked at her phone and saw that Jemma had sent her a link to an online news article. When the link opened, she was surprised to see a picture of her and Sousa on the red carpet at the top.

**Finding Love in California:**

**New York Novelist Daniel Sousa attends Stark Ball with**

**New Mysterious Girlfriend**

Daisy reads through the short article, letting out a laugh as the paper tries to identify her, but doesn’t quite get it right. She also chuckles when the paper describes her boyfriend as an eligible bachelor. This noise caused Daniel to stir slightly and he looks up at her, hair flopping onto one side of his face, a groggy look on his face that made him look utterly adorable. She moved to the side of the bed and showed him the article. He sighed as his eyes focused on the headline. After a brief scan read of the article, he turned to Daisy,

“Is this okay with you? We haven’t really talked about making this public.” He cast a worried glance her way and was surprised when he was met with a bold laugh.

“Daniel, I think it’s safe to say, it’s out there. I love you and therefore I don’t care what they write about me.” She bent down and kissed him. “Plus, I can always hack them and take it down if they write anything we don’t like.” He laughed and nodded in agreement at that as she grabbed her phone off him and headed for the kitchen, leaving him to get dressed.

She replied to messages from May and Jemma, while the coffee was brewing, filling Jemma in on the details of the evening, especially about the Stark Lab. She had just put her phone down when it buzzed again.

**_*1 notification*: danielsousa made a post_ **

****

Opening up her phone, she was surprised to see a picture of the two of them from the night before, clearly taken by Jemma. The photo was completely candid both of them laughing at something, but only Daniel’s face was completely visible from the angle. An adoring look in his eyes focused on her made her heart skip a beat, as she scrolled to read the caption.

_‘Inspiration comes when you least expect it._

_I am grateful mine is you.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you have any suggestions for prompts and such!


	3. A House is Not a Home Without a Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can you guys not hear that?” she whispered, waiting for the sound to repeat again. And when it did it lead her directly to behind a dumpster, where several cardboard boxes were stacked. Daniel began to follow a few paces behind his girlfriend, who was slowly approaching the dumpster. The whimpering and whining began to get louder as Daisy drew closer and she saw some movement in one of the boxes that had been tipped on its side. As she began to crouch down beside the box slowly, she cautiously lifted the flap so she could get a better look. Inside the box was a black dog, cowering and shaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I've had this planned since I started the main story, but couldn't fit it in here. The inclusion of another familiar character in here.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

It had been a hell of a day for Daisy. She’d been awoken from her slumber that morning by a frantic phone call from Jemma, asking if Daisy could cover her shift at the Lighthouse. Something had exploded or imploded or gone wrong at the lab or something. Daisy wasn’t quite sure, given she was still half asleep when her best friend rang, but she agreed none the less. She had rolled out of her bed, not realising that Daniel was no longer taking up the other side of the bed. She found him at her dining room table, seemingly in a Zoom call of some kind, chatting away with whoever was on the end of the phone, that Daisy couldn’t hear as he had earphones in. She smiled and waved in his direction before entering the bathroom to get ready for the day. Realising she had to make it to the Lighthouse in less than 15 minutes, she threw her hair up in a low pony and brushed her teeth. Applying the slightest bit of makeup to make herself look a little more awake, she grabbed a pair of jeans and a black jumper to throw on and hurried towards the door. She wrote Daniel a quick note to explain what was going on and slid it across the table to him, before she ran out the door, determined to make it on time.

The short walk to the Lighthouse meant she arrived just as May unlocked the front door, a few regulars already waiting outside and greeting her as she arrived. From then onwards, there had been a constant stream of customers through the door, the morning rush seeming to have multiplied. May and Daisy worked side by side, in a familiar rhythm that they had established when the older woman had begun training her, when Coulson first found her in the alley. The hiss of the milk steamer and spluttering of the espresso machine had become white noise to Daisy as she continued to serve the seemingly endless stream of customers with a welcoming smile on her face. Daniel had come in at some point and sat in their usual spot when it became free, but she hadn’t had chance to actually talk to him properly. Finally, as the rush began to thin out, Daisy was wiping the counter when she realised that her boyfriend was no longer sat by the window. She frowned slightly, he wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.

“May, do you happen to know where Daniel went?” she asked over her shoulder, to the woman who was restocking the pastries.

“He went out back with Coulson, apparently he’s never seen Lola before.” May shrugged, rolling her eyes as she mentioned the other woman in her husband’s life. Daisy chuckled and threw her cleaning rag in the basket, before hanging up her apron. The shop was quiet now with only a few tables full with regulars, she could have five minutes to check up on the two main men in her life.

She pushed opened the back door to see the two men stood next to the car, clearly discussing something interesting. Since Daisy had met Phil Coulson, the ‘62 cherry red Corvette had been a key part of his life, even if May teased him it was only to make him feel young still. He kept it in meticulous condition, caring for it as if it was an actual human in his charge, probably due to the connection it made between him and his own father.

“Ah, distracted by another woman are we Daniel?” Daisy said, causing both men to jump slightly. Daniel span around to see Daisy giving him the fake glare he had come to recognise over the past seven months she’d been in his life.

“Just admiring her, I doubt Phil would let me go anywhere near her,” he quipped back at her.

“He’s not wrong there,” Phil added as Daisy came to stand in between the men, also casting a look of admiration over the car. “Just thought I’d show him Lola at last.” Daisy went to open the door of the car.

“Don’t touch Lola!” Coulson said, gently slapping Daisy’s hand away from the handle. “You know what happened last time.”

“That was 100% Fitz, he was trying to get a look under the hood.” Daisy defended herself, a teasing smile on both their faces.

“Plus, it’s time for lunch anyway. I was thinking one of my famous grilled cheese might be good after the morning rush?” Coulson said, raising one eyebrow at his surrogate daughter.

Daisy eyes lit up at this, and her head shook in a furious nod as she shoved Daniel slightly towards the door to head back into the coffee shop. But something stopped her abruptly in her tracks, a noise coming from somewhere in the alley. She held one hand up and the men behind her fell silent, unsure of what she was doing. As she wandered around Lola, the sound got louder.

“What are you doing Dais?” Coulson asked, watching his surrogate daughter with some concern, as she began to walk quietly a little way down the alley.

“Can you guys not hear that?” she whispered, waiting for the sound to repeat again. And when it did it lead her directly to behind a dumpster, where several cardboard boxes were stacked. Daniel began to follow a few paces behind his girlfriend, who was slowly approaching the dumpster. The whimpering and whining began to get louder as Daisy drew closer and she saw some movement in one of the boxes that had been tipped on its side. As she began to crouch down beside the box slowly, she cautiously lifted the flap so she could get a better look. Inside the box was a black dog, cowering and shaking.

“Hey there sweetheart.” She said, speaking gently as not to spook the pup. “It’s a dog.” She said over her shoulder.

“Daisy be careful you don’t know what-“ Daniel began to say, not that Daisy was really listening.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” She whispered, slowly inching closer to the dog. The dog was now sprawled flat on the floor, a worried look on their eyes. Daisy reached carefully towards the dog and heard Daniel take a deep breath behind her. She held her own breath as she lowered her hand to touch the dog, but she didn’t need to worry, as the dog shoved his head into her hand, leaning into her touch. A smile broke across Daisy’s face as the dog’s tail began to wag, thumping against the side of the box. She retreated slightly and the dog followed her out of the box, as she sat down on the floor of the alley.

“Good god, look at it.” Daniel said, as he got a proper look at the animal. It was skin and bone, hips angular and the coat was rubbed out in patches along its sides. A few marks across the face and backend indicated to Daniel that this dog had not come from a good situation. Nevertheless, he watched as the animal sat beside Daisy, very much enjoying the attention he was receiving. Coulson suddenly appeared at his side with a bowl of water and some ham on a plate. He approached Daisy and the dog cautiously, stooping to hand the items to the girl on the floor. As he did so the dog moved away slightly, moving behind Daisy, who took the items from him before he retreated slightly.

“Hey it’s okay, look. Coulson brought you some food, I’m sure you’d like some of this.” She said offering the dog a piece of lunch meat. After an apprehensive sniff, the dog took it very gently from the girl, sitting down on its haunches beside her.

“It’s definitely a boy,” Daniel noted as he watched his girlfriend continue to feed the canine. “We should probably take him to a vet.” Daisy nodded in agreement.

“I know a vet not far from here, you guys take him. Mel and I can hold down the fort here.”

* * *

Upon entering Doctor Winslow’s practice, Daisy spoke to the kind receptionist about the situation with the dog who was currently sat next to her ankle. After they’d initially worried about how they’d actually get the dog to go to the vet with them, Daniel and Daisy found that the dog was actually quite willing to walk beside Daisy, on the opposite side to Daniel.

Once called into the room by a friendly looking man, Daisy managed to get the dog to stand so the vet could inspect him.

“Ah well obviously, this looks like an abuse case. We often get these kinds of injuries on dog’s that come in having been abandoned unfortunately. I’ll just pop him through in the back with me so I can check for a microchip and take some bloods, and then I’ll return to discuss shelters and the such with you.” Dr Winslow explained, slipping a lead around the dog’s neck and exiting through the rear door, the dog throwing a worried look in Daisy’s direction as he followed the vet.

Daniel turned to Daisy as the door closed, to find her eyes full of tears, that were threatening to spill out. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as the tears began to fall, causing a damp patch to form on his shirt.

“I- we- we can’t leave him in a shelter.” She stammered through the sobs that were escaping her throat. He stroked her back and pressed a kiss to her hair. “Some monster just abandoned him in that alley.”

“I know, that’s a special kind of evil. But what else can we do with him?” Daniel muttered, not wanting to upset Daisy.

“I could take him home.” She said confidently, pulling back from Daniel slightly to look at him. “I’ve got the room and the time. I can work from home, and my lease allows for dogs.”

Daniel mulled it over in his brain, “and I own my place, so he could always come with you when you stay at mine.” A smile spread across Daisy’s face as she watched Daniel’s brain work out the logistics, ever the practical gentleman. “I suppose Phil does allow dog’s at the Lighthouse as well. Plus, he seems to be attached to you already.” In that split second, Daniel found Daisy’s lips against his in a passionate kiss.

“I love you.” She uttered as they pulled away.

“What just because I said okay to the dog?” he chuckled slightly, causing Daisy to smile. “I love you too though. I’ll always support you. He looks like he’s gonna need some serious TLC though.”

“I know, and that’s okay. Everyone needs a little help when they’re broken.”

The vet wandered back in with the black dog in tow, having made sure he was not on a stolen or missing pet database, and concluded he did not have a microchip. He was happy to hear that Daisy would be taking him home with her.

“That’s excellent. I always say a house is not a home without a pet.” Dr Winslow beamed at the couple stood on the other side of the desk, the dog now leaning against Daisy’s leg as she scratched between his ears. He prescribed some antibiotics to fight any infection he was likely to have, as well as a medicated shampoo to help his skin lesions. After recommending a special diet to help the dog get his weight back to normal, Daisy was allowed to walk out of the vet surgery with her new dog at her side on the leash the vet had given them. They had an appointment for shots to return for the next week, but that was next week’s problem. Right now, Daisy was heading home with her dog.

* * *

A few hours later and a trip to a pet supply store later, Daniel stumbled slightly as he walked through Daisy’s front door, carrying multiple bags. Daisy chuckled slightly as the man huffed as he placed the bags on the floor.

“He’s gonna need a name at some point, what are your ideas so far?” Daniel questioned, heading to the kitchen to plate the takeout they had stopped to get. Daisy knelt down and took the leash off the dog sat by her ankles. Even with the freedom to roam anywhere he wanted in the apartment, the large black dog didn’t stray too far from Daisy but gave a hesitant sniff to a few surfaces that were foreign to him.

“I’m not sure, I want it to be right.” Daisy said, moving to help Daniel but keeping a close eye on the dog. “What about Cooper?” At the sound of the name, the dog’s head shot up and he trotted over to Daisy, wagging his tail as he approached her. The goofy look he gave Daisy made her giggle and lean down to stroke his face.

“I think you’ve picked a winning name there, isn’t that right Cooper?” Daniel said, slowly approaching the dog, who was still slightly cautious of him. Daniel let the dog sniff around his feet, before reaching out to pet him, the dog tensing slightly under his touch.

“He won’t hurt you Coop, it’s okay,” Daisy said reassuringly to the dog, knowing this was important for him not to be scared of Daniel. The dog relaxed slightly and butted his head against Daniel’s good leg in affection, which Daisy took as a positive sign.

As Daisy and Daniel settled at the dining table, Cooper lay across Daisy’s feet closing his eyes and relaxing slightly. After dinner had been eaten and cleared away, they retreated to the couch and began unpacking the goods they had brought on their shopping spree. There were multiple of things like bowls, so they wouldn’t have to transport things other than the dog between their two apartments when Daisy spent the night at Daniel’s. It was safe to say that Daisy might have gone over the top in the dog toy section of the store, and Cooper had a choice from a plethora of toys to choose from, his reaction to which was just to stare at them all, not quite sure what to do. It took a few tries, but Daniel managed to get his attention with a squeaky toy shaped like a duck. Finally, Daisy brought out a smart leather collar and clipped it around Cooper’s neck after attaching the ID tag that held her phone number. She patted him as his mouth opened, yawning.

“One hell of a day for you, Coop,” Daniel chuckled, the smile that had been on Daisy’s face since they said they would take him home growing even more.

As Daniel stood up to go to the bathroom, Daisy pulled up a TV show they had started watching. Daniel wasn’t quite sure when his clothing had started making its way into Daisy’s dresser drawers, but he made sure to take a pair of his sweatpants with him so he could change out of his jeans. He couldn’t have been gone more than five minutes, but the scene he returned to made him shake his head as he chuckled. Daisy was lying down one half of the l-shaped couch and Cooper was snuggled up next to her, stretched out parallel to her body. Both looked peaceful and sleepy, as Daisy’s hand rhythmically stroked the length of the dog’s. back. Before she noticed he was there, Daniel took a picture of the pair on his phone, quickly sending it to the group chat that he had been added to with the whole Lighthouse team.

_“This is Cooper, I think Daisy’s replacing me already.”_

And with that he rounded the couch and sat beside Daisy, and she shifted slightly, leaning against him as they settled in for the evening, the perfect picture of domesticity.


	4. We'll be Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaking awoke Daisy from her sleep. Her eyes snapped open. Her mind immediately jumped to an earthquake, this wouldn’t be the first one she’d experienced living in California. But the room itself wasn’t shaking and instead it was the man sleeping next to her. He was breathing was fast and shallow and upon touching his arm she found it was damp with sweat. Murmurs were hushed and quiet as they streamed out of his mouth, not quite forming words that she could make out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW - nightmares ? 
> 
> This is probably the most angsty one shot I'll write for this, but I feel like its necessary for the story (part of it was actually suggested in the comments). It's also a bit shorter than the others.
> 
> Updates might be a bit more sporadic now, as I've got another fic idea that I want to write while it's on my brain.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Shaking awoke Daisy from her sleep. Her eyes snapped open. Her mind immediately jumped to an earthquake, this wouldn’t be the first one she’d experienced living in California. But the room itself wasn’t shaking and instead it was the man sleeping next to her. He was breathing was fast and shallow and upon touching his arm she found it was damp with sweat. Murmurs were hushed and quiet as they streamed out of his mouth, not quite forming words that she could make out.

Daisy knew it was a nightmare, she’d had too many of her own but in that moment, she wasn’t quite sure how to comfort Daniel as he began twisting on the bed. In one swift and sudden motion, he sat bolt upright and gasped, visibly breathless and frantically looking round at his surroundings disorientated. Reaching out to place her hand on his arm, Daniel flinched away from her, panic filling his eyes. Somewhat shocked, she pulled herself up to a sitting position and looked at him as he met her eyes with his wide ones. She could see when Daniel’s brain flickered with recognition of where they were and who she was. He brought his hands to his face and sighed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He said quietly, fiddling with the edge of the blanket he’d fallen asleep under, but had been tossed down to the foot of the bed in his panic.

“Daniel, that’s not- are you okay?” Daisy asked, placing a hand on his arm delicately as he scooted backwards to lean against the headboard of his bed. “and don’t give me any of that, I’m fine crap, I know you’re not.” She said, knowing him well enough that he’d probably try and pass off whatever was going on.

“It was just a nightmare. I’ve just not had one in a while. It’s a bit much.” He said, still not looking her in the eye.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not right now, maybe in the morning?” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s gone 4am, you should try and get some sleep.”

“Are you not going to go back to sleep?”

“Probably not.”

“Well, we should at least try. Come on,” she said, pulling him closer until they were lying facing each other. “I’m right here if you need me.” Brushing her lips against his lightly, she snuggled into him gently and arm came around her body, holding her close to him. She could feel his heart rate was still high, but it was starting to slow, and his breathing was beginning to even out.

* * *

It was only two hours later when Daisy woke up to an empty bed. A quick glance to the dog bed in the corner of the room found it also deserted. She also noticed that Daniel’s prosthetic leg was still balanced against the wall and the crutches that were normally behind the door were gone too. The gentle pitter-patter of rain on the window was providing white noise as she padded out of the bedroom in Daniel’s apartment, wrapping a robe around her.

When she entered the living room, Daniel was sat on the couch, staring blankly out of the large windows overlooking the bay, crutches placed on the floor. A small smile stretched across her face as she saw Cooper lying across Daniel’s lap, one of the man’s hands running up and down his back. She quietly rounded the couch and sat down beside her love, who eyes didn’t stray from whatever point he was fixated on out the window. Worry was the main emotion coursing through her veins. Daisy had never seen him like this, but thought not to push it, so she sat in silence waiting for him to start the conversation that was inevitable in her mind. A few minutes past before Daniel spoke.

“It was the accident. Where I lost the leg.” Daisy said nothing but covered his hand with her own, waiting for him to expand on his statement. Daisy had never asked how it happened or why he had a prosthetic leg, because she knew he’d tell her when he was comfortable enough to. “It was a Saturday, in New York. Sophie had dragged me all over town looking for some present for some guy she was seeing at the time.” He took a deep breath, squeezing her hand ever so slightly. “We were walking through a little alleyway on the way home, and Sophie ran into this bodega to get something while I waited outside. There was this explosion, gas leak or something. The glass windows shattered, and it went up in flames. Sophie was in there, so I didn’t think, I just ran in, found her and dragged her out on to the sidewalk. And then there was screams from the inside. I checked Sophie was safe with someone was who stood outside and then went back in. The man that owned it was holding his two kids behind the counter, and they were trapped by the flames, both of them screaming. I managed to get them out by stamping out part of the fire with my jacket. But when I went back in for their Dad-” Tears were forming in his eyes and he didn’t stop them from spilling down his face. “I should have known, the building was creaking and then it fell. I woke up to the sound of sirens, but I was trapped under some sort of beam and my leg was crushed. It was so hot, and the flames were taking over. I was in and out of consciousness. I was sure I was going to die, alone.” He paused for a moment, using his free hand to wipe his face, before returning it to stroke Cooper’s head.

“I woke up in a hospital three days later, and it was gone, but I was alive. Sophie came in and found me awake and just started sobbing.”

“What happened to the dad?” Daisy asked apprehensively after a beat.

“He made it out, I apparently woke up enough to tell the firefighters his location. He had bad burns, but he was alive. Still is, I get a Christmas card every year with a letter about the kids and everything. Eva and Sammy.” He smiled slightly at the thought, turning to Daisy to see she also had tears running down her face.

“So, the nightmare?”

“I was trapped in the building again, pinned by the beam and flames burning my flesh. I’ve had it before, not for a while though.” He took another breath, “In the nightmare though, I’m not alone, my family is there. Sarah or Sophie, or Dad, or the kids. Trapped and screaming my name but I can’t help and they’re just screaming for me and I’m paralysed, unable to move no matter how much I try.”

Daisy moved closer to him, still holding his hand but slipping her free one round his neck to pull his upper body towards her. He rested his head on her shoulder and muttered something that she couldn’t quite hear.

“What was that, I couldn’t hear you?” She said gently, carding her hand through his curls in an effort to comfort him.

“Last night, it was you.” She looked at him, slightly shocked. She knew they’d said they loved each other, but it never occurred to her that Daniel would ever be so scared of losing her. She pondered the thought that she would be exactly the same if the roles were reversed.

“It’s okay, I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got you, Daniel,” she murmured into his hair as she held him. They stayed like that until Daniel drifted off to an uneasy sleep in her embrace. She shifted them slightly so they were both comfortable and looked at the clock, it was early enough that they could both easily get a couple more hours sleep. After pressing a kiss to his head, she let her eyes shut.

“I’ve got you, we’ll be okay. Together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and comments, they truly make my day!


	5. Wild Flower Bouquet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos. Organised chaos. They were the only words that Daniel could come up with to describe what was going on the morning of Fitz and Jemma’s wedding. After being engaged for over a year and a half and some meticulous planning on Jemma’s behalf, the big day had arrived, and he stood in the hall not quite knowing what to do.
> 
> or a Fitzsimmons Wedding in my little AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so trying to plan a wedding, even fictional, is stressful apparently.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter, I have plans for more but there will be uploaded a bit less frequently as I'm working on something else right now.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Chaos. Organised chaos. They were the only words that Daniel could come up with to describe what was going on the morning of Fitz and Jemma’s wedding. After being engaged for over a year and a half and some meticulous planning on Jemma’s behalf, the big day had arrived, and he stood in the hall not quite knowing what to do. Jemma and Fitz were in separate rooms keeping tradition as they got ready, and Daisy was running between the two like a headless chicken carrying and fetching seemingly random, yet clearly important, items. She wasn’t dressed yet and was wearing a robe that stated she was the Maid of Honour across her back.

Daniel was taken aback when Fitz had asked him to be a groomsman, but had agreed, nevertheless. He’d got mostly ready in Fitz’s room alongside Hunter and Mack, leaving his jacket and tie hanging in the closet to keep it as clean as possible. He’d grown a lot closer to the whole group over the past few years and definitely felt like part of the tight-knit team. He wandered back into the ‘boy’s room’ as Elena had termed it, to see Fitz pacing slightly.

“You okay Fitz? Can I get you anything? Cup of tea?” That seemingly stopped the Scotsman in his tracks.

“Actually, I’d really appreciate that right now. Could you do me a favour and make Jemma one too?” Fitz asked, his voice slightly nervous as he rubbed his hands together.

“Yep, no problem. I’ll be right back.”

Daniel was grateful for Peggy and her Britishness at this moment, for forcing him to learn how to make a ‘proper’ cup of tea. In the kitchenette down the hall, he made sure to use a teapot and let it properly brew before pouring it, adding milk to both and one sugar into Fitz’s. After giving Fitz his, Daniel crossed the hall and knocked before opening it.

“Is everyone decent?” he asked, eyes closed in an attempt to not get yelled at and protect everyone’s modesty at the same time. Jemma giggled.

“They’re all getting changed in the dressing room Daniel, it’s just me. I’m clothed you’re fine.” Jemma said, from where she was sat at the vanity by the bay window, as Daniel opened his eyes.

“Brought you this.” He said, raising the cup in his hand, “Fitz thought you might appreciate it.”

Jemma took the cup off him gratefully, cupping her hands around it to take in its warmth.

“Thank you, Daniel, that’s very kind. How’s he doing?” she asked, some concern crossing her face.

“He’s fine Jemma, bit antsy to get started but that’s Fitz, isn’t it? Nothing could stop him from marrying you.” Daniel said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

“And we’d beat him up, if he tried anything anyway,” came a voice from behind Daniel.

He turned to see his girlfriend, fully made up in her bridesmaid dress, holding a pair of heels. The dress matched what Bobbi and Elena were also wearing, a long flowing lilac dress with a halter neckline.

“Stunning as always,” Daniel said, pressing a kiss to Daisy’s forehead. “You all look lovely.”

“As nice as that is Daniel, you have to scram now. Jemma’s got to put the dress on.” Elena said, moving to retrieve the dress from where is was hanging on the curtain rail.

“Alright, I’m going, I’m going.” Daniel said walking to the door.

“Thanks for the tea!” Jemma shouted after him.

“Let’s get this show on the road then!”

* * *

The sunlight shone through the canopy of trees above the area where the ceremony way taking place. A couple rows of wooden chairs had been put out for Fitz and Simmons’s respective families who had flown in, but it was a small wedding, intimate with a slightly larger reception planned for that evening. May was sat beside Fitz’s mum and Jemma’s mother and grandmother sat on the other side of the aisle. The light dapples moved as a gentle breeze moved through the trees, and Daniel look to Fitz, who was shifting from one foot to the other, having a quiet conversation with Hunter and Mack. Hunter, as best man, was trying his best to calm Fitz down with a few classic jokes but Fitz was still a little impatient waiting for his bride to come down the aisle, even as Mack adjusted his bowtie on his tux. Despite this none of them noticed when the girls started to walk down the aisle and the congregation stood up, until Daniel cleared his throat loud enough to get their attention. Coulson walked down first, taking his place as the officiant and clapping Fitz on the shoulder lightly, shooting him his classic reassuring look that Daniel had seen him use multiple times over the past few years.

Bobbi walked down the aisle first, followed by Elena. Daniel felt his heart skip a beat as Daisy came into view, clutching a small bouquet of wild flowers. The mellow golden beams of light seemed to highlight her smile as she walked down the aisle, meeting his eyes with his own and sharing a knowing look, as she took her place nearest Coulson on the opposite side. Suddenly the music changed, and everyone’s attention was drawn back to the top of the aisle. Jemma seemed to float down the aisle arm in arm with her father, truly beautiful in a flowing white dress, looking like she belonged on the front of a bridal magazine. Daniel glanced in Fitz’s direction, to see him looking dumbfoundedly shocked, absolutely speechless as tears filled his bright blue eyes. Hunter reached across and shut his jaw for him, causing Daniel and Mack to try and stifle some laughter. Jemma approached Fitz, taking his hands as she handed Daisy her larger bouquet

The ceremony was beautiful and as Coulson went through the words, Fitz held Simmons hands tight the entire time, bobbing on his toes slightly occasionally. When it came to the vows, Daisy handed Jemma a card, with her vows on. She spoke of them first meeting and how she couldn’t wait for the future. Fitz’s vows were a little more spur of the moment. One look at Daisy and Daniel’s suspicion was confirmed, as he watched the tears spill down her cheeks as the Scotsman spoke about the love of his life. She had been so excited for this day that she’d barely slept for a week. Having whole-heartedly dedicated herself to making sure her best friends had their perfect wedding, the finished product taking place had made her eternally happy for them. Before they knew it, Coulson was saying the final words of the ceremony,

“By the power vested in me, by state of California, and you guys, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” The small crowd erupted with cheers and applause as the young couple met in a tender kiss.

As everyone headed back to the house, they naturally fell into stride as couples, behind Jemma and Fitz. Daniel wordlessly passed Daisy his handkerchief as she took his arm, a few steps behind the newlyweds. She kisses his cheek as she takes it off him, giving him that smile that made it feel like a stampede was running through his chest.

* * *

The party was fun, filled with music and dancing. More people had arrived to celebrate from the lab that Fitz and Jemma worked in, as well as more friends and Trip arrived at the last minute before Hunter took the mic, with a pint in his hand.

“Ladies and Gents, it’s time to officially introduce the couple of the evening, Dr & Dr Fitzsimmons!” Jemma and Fitz entered the small ballroom through the double doors hand in hand, to cheers from almost everyone they knew, wide smiles. After a dinner of decidedly British foods, that made some of the American guest a little confused, tables were cleared away for the first dance. Daisy leant against Daniel, who had an arm wrapped her waist, as she watched her best friends twirl around the dancefloor in each other’s arms.

“He’s been going to dance classes you know?” Daniel murmured to her quietly, watching for her reaction. She whipped her head round to look up at him, quizzically.

“How do you know that? I didn’t know that!”

“He told me about it when I asked if he was nervous about any bits of the wedding. He said he didn’t want Jemma to look stupid dancing with him. Apparently, he was told I dance very well.” He said raising an eyebrow at her, causing her to her immediately dip her head as a blush rose in her cheeks.

“I should know by now that Jemma can’t keep anything to herself,” she giggled slightly, eyes drifting to the couple who were stood swaying one spot, gently talking to each other as if there was no one around them. Daisy had never felt so light, so unbelievably happy for her friend’s happiness. One look to Daniel made her think about the day they might do this, and the thought made a warm sensation spread through her body. They’d been together for well over a year now and she had never been so content. She was briefly aware of Hunter announcing a Father Daughter dance as she pulled herself closer to Daniel, in awe of the fact that this man was with her of all people. She quickly shook the thought out of her head, she had more self-worth than that.

* * *

The party went on till the early hours of the morning, when Fitz and Simmons decided to leave, but as they said their goodbyes and turned to leave Elena shouted after them.

“Jemma, you need to throw the bouquet!” Jemma wandered back to the middle of the room, as a crowd of women began to excitedly gather. Daisy was pulled into the crowd by Elena and Bobbi as they rushed to be involved in the tradition. Daniel smiled at his girlfriend and perched on the edge of one of the tables, holding Daisy’s shoes in one hand, his bowtie undone and draped around his neck from when the dancing had made him warm.

The bride then turned around and threw the bundled bunch of flowers over her head. It was a true showcase of Jemma’s athletic abilities, or lack thereof, when the bouquet veered off course and landed directly in Daniel’s arms, which moved to catch it instinctively. He instantly panics and looks to Daisy with wide eyes, which causes everyone to begin to laugh at his surprised face. Daisy locks eyes with him and a beat passes, before she smirks and shrugs suggestively to him, before turning to talk to Elena and Bobbi, both of whom were howling with laughter.

“Good luck with that one, mate.” Hunter says clapping Daniel on the shoulder, as he moves to finish off his beer. Daniel just smiles at his drunk friend as he stumbles over a chair leg and has to be caught by Mack.

‘ _Well there’s some food for thought,’_ his brain helpfully supplied for him. Looking back to Daisy, he realised maybe it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave any suggestions/prompts in the comments!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. In Anticipation of Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Streams of light from the rising sun peaked over the iconic skyline, as their plane began its descent onto the awaiting tarmac. Daisy felt Daniel squeeze her hand as she peered out the small window to look at the city. It had been years since she’d been in New York, and it had not been a good time in her life, which had initiated her move out West in search of a better life for herself. However, when Daniel surprised her with tickets to the Big Apple for her birthday two days previous, she felt excited at the prospect to go back, with him by her side. The only nerves she really felt were about meeting Daniel’s extended family that evening, for the fourth of July celebration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love seasonal chapters out of season. Bit of a longer one.

Streams of light from the rising sun peaked over the iconic skyline, as their plane began its descent onto the awaiting tarmac. Daisy felt Daniel squeeze her hand as she peered out the small window to look at the city. It had been years since she’d been in New York, and it had not been a good time in her life, which had initiated her move out West in search of a better life for herself. However, when Daniel surprised her with tickets to the Big Apple for her birthday two days previous, she felt excited at the prospect to go back, with him by her side. The only nerves she really felt were about meeting Daniel’s extended family that evening, for the fourth of July celebration. She knew and got on well with both of his sisters and kept in regular contact with them in the year and half her and Daniel had been dating, but this was different. Daniel talked often about his extended family and how close they’d been when he was growing up.

They checked into the hotel first and Daisy was taken aback by how high class the hotel was. She’d never really been on a proper vacation and any hotels she had spent time in had tended to be crummy motels or budget-saving hostels on the road. Daniel had clearly gone all out for her birthday and she fought with feelings of guilt in how much he had done for her. Daniel was organising their bags with the bellhop and handed him a tip as he left, before turning to Daisy who was stood awkwardly, looking around the suite from the entrance hall.

“You okay Daisy?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

“Yeah, I just- I didn’t need all this Daniel. The money-” she spoke quietly, nervously fidgeting with her hands.

“Daisy, I know you don’t. I wanted to celebrate your birthday as best as I could, let me treat you. You deserve it.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to her neck as she leant into his touch. “C’mon, let’s go look at the view.” He led her out on to the balcony and her breath was taken away. The skyline was highlighted by the sun that was still rising in the sky, the majesty of the concrete jungle almost overpowering in its intensity. Following Daniel’s gaze, she saw the large green space of Central Park, an oasis of greenery juxtaposed against its concrete and steel surroundings. The noise rose to them, somewhat muted by the distance while they were in a skyscraper, but clearly reminding them of the never ending hustle and bustle of the city. The sky above them was a bright blue, with only a few white fluffy clouds dotted around. Daisy leant against the railing and took in the ambience of it all. As Daniel wrapped an arm around her, she turned to him, brushing her lips against his.

“Thank you,” she murmured to him as they pulled apart until they were a few inches apart.

“Anything for you.” He replied, as he closed the distance between them again.

* * *

Sat in the back of the yellow taxi cab as it shuttled them to their destination, Daisy bounced her knee, her stomach full of nerves. She watched as endless buildings and people passed by the window as the car weaved its way through the city. Daniel’s hand fell on her knee and squeezed it gently, shooting her a reassuring smile. She tried to return it as she knew he was excited to see his whole family, but apparently it didn’t fool him.

“They’ll love you Daisy, you don’t need to worry. Plus, Sophie and Sarah will be there, with the kids. You know Dad loves you.” He said, grabbing her hands in his. She nodded, not completely convinced, but willing to try anything for the man she loved, which included meeting his large family.

It wasn’t long until they pulled up at the modest townhouse Daniel had grown up in. Daisy adjusted her leather jacket over her blouse and wiped down her skinny jeans after exiting the cab. Seeing her fussing over her appearance, Daniel caught her arm and pulled her in for a kiss. Her body relaxed slightly, having the effect he expected it to have on her.

“You look great, stop panicking.” He said before placing his hand lightly on the small of her back to guide her to the steps up to the house. “This is gonna get loud, just a slight warning. Sousa’s tend to be a rowdy bunch.” And with that he rang the doorbell. Within moments, the door swung open revealing Sophie, who immediately engulfed Daisy in a hug.

“Daisy! We’re so excited you came! Amelia wouldn’t stop bouncing around when we told her you were joining us.” She said releasing Daisy, as they shared a wide smile.

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Daniel said indignantly, standing beside the pair, being completely ignored by his younger sister.

“Compared to this lovely lady? Yeah pretty much.” His sister smirked, before wrapping her brother in a bear hug. The sound of footfalls hammered towards the front door and Daisy was practically tackled to the ground by an excited Amelia, and both girls collapsed to the floor in a fit of giggles.

“Hey ‘Melia, your mom told me you’ve got a lot to catch me up on, apparently there’s a boy at school?” Daisy questioned the girl in her arms, who was currently blushing a deep red, but still giggling slightly. Daniel looked between the pair, slightly panicked.

“What- a boy? But- But-” he stammered out, causing a full bodied laugh to be released by Daisy and Sophie.

“Oops looks like your Uncle Daniel is gonna get a bit overprotective.” Daisy told Amelia, smirking up at her boyfriend who looked wholly unimpressed.

“Good lord Daniel, you’re as bad as her father,” offering Daisy a hand up as Amelia ran off, after giving her uncle a quick hug, to no doubt fetch her brother and cousin. “Come on in, you’ve never actually met my husband have you Daisy?” Daisy shook her head as Daniel deposited the backpack, they had brought with them on one of the coat hooks. The house was tastefully decorated, with photos adorning the walls. She spotted a few that were of Daniel growing up, as well as ones of his sisters and their parents. Daniel chuckled and gently pushed her down the hall, towards the noise that was growing louder as they grew closer. They arrived at the door of what appeared to be a long sitting room, which seemed rather full and hectic. There were clusters of adults talking and laughing, having a loud conversation, as well as children weaving between them all, chasing each other. No one seemed to notice they had entered the room, and Sophie turned to them and rolled her eyes, Daniel chuckling slightly. She put out her hand and Daniel helped her to stand on the closest table before she put her hands to her mouth and whistled loudly, immediately drawing all the attention to herself.

“Sousas! Look who’s here!” she shouted and turned to reveal Daniel, and Daisy who was stood hidden slightly behind him. Greetings were shouted across the room and two small voices, she recognised yelled “Uncle Daniel!” before Daniel stooped to greet his youngest niece and nephew. Daisy giggled slightly, drawing attention to herself, and the kids then rushed to her too. She hugged them tight as Sophie turned to address the room again. “This is Daisy, Daniel’s girlfriend. Be nice, we like this one.” She said winking at Daisy as Daniel helped her down off the table. “It’s the only way to get all their attention at once. I’ll be in the kitchen with Dad preparing for the barbeque tonight, if you need to escape them all.” Daisy nodded and gave her a tight smile. “You’ll be fine, just be yourself.” And with that she sauntered off into the kitchen. Daniel smiled, interlocked their fingers and walked away to the group of people that had converged in the middle of the room. _‘Be yourself.’_ Daisy thought to herself. She took one May-inspired meditation breath and followed her boyfriend.

* * *

An hour or so later, Daisy had met both aunts and an uncle, as well as a myriad of cousins that she wasn’t quite sure she remembered all the names of. To give them their due, they were all warm and welcoming to her. She had bonded quickly with Daniel’s brothers-in-law, Mark and Chris, as well as reunited with Sarah.

“Never thought we’d see the day did we, Mark? Dan bringing home a girl?” Chris teased, elbowing Daniel slightly. Sarah playfully punched her husband’s arm but continued to giggle at her brother’s expense.

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up fellas. I think she was well worth the wait.” Daniel said, pulling Daisy closer to his side, smiling down at her. She couldn’t help the warmth that spread through her chest as she smiled back at him.

“I’m going to go and find your Dad, see if I can help in there.” Daisy said, pressing a kiss to Daniel’s cheek as she excused herself. She wandered through the door that she had seen Sophie disappear through following the scent of some delicious smells, until she reached the kitchen. She pushed the door open to see Frank Sousa, stirring a pot on the stove, a tea towel thrown over one shoulder of his red white and blue checked shirt. Upon seeing her at the door, he threw the towel on the kitchen counter and walked towards her with open arms. She easily slotted into his friendly embrace.

“Daisy! I’m so glad you came, the family have been dying to meet you.” He said as they pulled away from each other, “Can’t believe we’ve not seen you in so long!”

“It’s not been that long, Frank. We saw you in April in Cali.” Daisy replied easily. She had immediately bonded with the older Sousa man on his multiple visits to her hometown, and they had an easy repartee between them whenever they saw each other. “Anyway, I’m here to offer my help. I’m not a fantastic cook as Daniel has probably told you, but I can chop and dice or prep anything you need.”

It wasn’t long till Daisy found herself chopping various vegetables for a salad, happily chatting away to Frank and Sophie, filling them in on what was going on the west coast and listening intently to stories about their family. In amongst the laughter and conversation, Daisy caught sight of Daniel through the open kitchen door. He was laughing at something his cousin Beth had said, but that wasn’t what caused her to stop what she was doing. In his arms, he was cradling a small baby to his chest, gently swaying on the spot, looking completely natural as he changed positions to sooth the baby when it began to fuss. Something in her heart melted watching him be almost paternal to the bundle in his arms. It wasn’t that she didn’t want kids at some point, but she’d just never given it much thought. That was until Daniel came on the scene that she found herself pondering the prospect more often. It wasn’t hard to see from the relationships he had with his nieces and nephew, that he would no doubt be an excellent father, but that wasn’t the thing she was worried about. Daisy was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, that she didn’t notice that Sarah had entered the kitchen and sidled up beside her, causing her to jump when Sarah spoke.

“What you staring at Dais?” she asked, one eyebrow quirked up mischievously.

“Oh, erm- nothing.” Daisy blurted, picking up her knife again and beginning to chop the tomatoes, a blush rising in her cheeks immediately. This caused Sarah to cast her gaze out, following Daisy’s previous eyeline. When it landed on her brother holding the new Sousa baby, she laughed and patted Daisy on the back.

“Ooooohhhhh, I get it. Broody, Daisy?” she teased lightly, watching the girl become flustered under her stare. Even Frank turned around when the topic of conversation changed.

“Don’t be rude, Sal.” He said, throwing the tea towel across the kitchen at his daughter, but the corners of his mouth were flicked up into a smile. “Although, I’m sure those babies would be gorgeous.” This caused Daisy to giggle nervously, head still dipped as the heat was very much still in her cheeks.

“We’re just teasing, but I’ve actually got something to tell you and Dan. Wait here, one second.” Daisy watched as the woman strolled to the door and shouted for her brother and husband to come to the kitchen. Daniel arrived, sans baby, which Daisy was sort of glad of, as he approached her and pressed a kiss to her temple. Chris also came in baring a small gift bag and placed it on the bench in front of Daniel. Sophie stood beside her father, both looking mischievously at the California-based couple. Sarah stood on the opposite side of the bench, as her husband wrapped an arm around her, and they motioned for Daniel to open the gift. With a brief look to Daisy, who was just as curious as he was. He pulled out the white tissue paper of the bag and pulled out a mug. He gave a brief look to his youngest sister, before inspecting the inscription on the mug. Daisy gasped and a hand flew up to her mouth as she read it before him over his shoulder.

_“Best Uncle_

_To Amelia,_

_Harper,_

_George_

_And Baby Jones-Sousa_

_(due February 2023)”_

Daniel’s face broke into a mix of disbelief and a wide grin, as he realised what the message meant, Daisy had a matching smile on her face. He practically jumped the kitchen island to bear hug his sister, which caused everyone to laugh. Daisy hugged Sarah when Daniel finally let her go, the elated big brother then embracing his brother-in-law to offer his congratulations.

“I can’t believe I get to be an Uncle again,” Daniel said still in slight disbelief, as he looked between the expectant parents, which made Daisy wonder if he was gonna cry. He was certainly on the edge of it. It was at this point that Harper barrelled into the kitchen and collided with her father’s legs. “And here’s the big sister now, you excited Harps?” Harper nodded vigorously and put a hand on her mother’s very slight bump.

“How far along are you?” Daisy asked, pretty sure that that was the appropriate question to ask a pregnant woman.

“8 weeks, Feb 14th we’re due.” Sarah replied.

“Our little valentines baby,” Frank said, putting an arm around Sarah’s shoulders, the look of a proud father on his face. “Anyway, as nice as this all is, we’ve got a feast to prepare.”

* * *

Daisy had been surprised by how expansive the roof of the Sousa family home was, nestled in the midst of New York City. Everyone had climbed up there for the barbeque, carrying trays of precooked or prepared food. Daniel came up last, taking a little longer to make his way up all the stairs with his prosthetic on. The roof had clearly been decorated for the event with flags and bunting placed around the perimeter and tables. Delicate fairy lights were also strung up around the boundary walls, creating a cosy, homely ambience. The kids had dragged up blankets and pillows, which had been placed on the floor among the various chairs. Frank and Sophie were tending the grill, reminding Daisy of Coulson on Thanksgivings.

After dinner was eaten and the sun was beginning to set in the sky, the adults all gathered and began to play card games, while stories were swapped and told of the past year. Daisy had quickly picked up the game and was fully channelling May’s impeccable poker face, causing her to win quite a few hands. She smirked as she claimed another win, and the Sousas were all in mock uproar. She leant into Daniel as he snaked an arm around her waist and held her close.

By the time it was dark, Frank had gathered the kids to take pictures with sparklers. Daniel stood off to the side, watching closely and occasionally helping George. With a wink, Sophie handed her a couple of sparklers for her Daniel. Apparently, there were generational photos taken every year. Frank was organising the photo and called his children and sons-in-laws to be the next photo. Daisy hesitated to join at first, but was quickly dragged in by Sarah and Sophie, giggling like a school girl. She stood beside Daniel and Sophie as the photos were taken, Mark making inappropriate jokes just out of earshot of everyone else, which caused the entire group to be in fits of laughter, while holding out their now lit sparklers. After the entire family got in the shot, and Daisy found herself surrounded by a large amount of Sousas. Daniel was chatting and laughing with his family as Sophie set up the self-timer for the large group shot. He was truly happy, slotting in perfectly to his position as the oldest of his generation. Sophie leapt over the row of children that were sat in front of them and threw one arm around Daisy and the other around Sarah, yelling as she did to get everyone to look in the general direction of the camera.

It wasn’t long before everyone settled down in anticipation of the fireworks. Daisy sat between Daniel’s legs as she leant against his chest, sharing the warmth of their bodies, as a slight cold nip to the air blew in. Suddenly the sky lit up with thousands of colourful lights, exploding against the backdrop of the inky black sky above the city. She rested her head on Daniel’s shoulder so she could get a better look at the night’s sky, before she felt his gaze on her.

“What you looking at Danny boy?” she asked, still watching the colourful explosions in the sky, and listening to the exclamations of the kids as they enjoyed the display.

“Just you. You’re the best.” Daniel murmured, rocking back on his hands a bit. Daisy looked at him somewhat confused as to what had brought this proclamation on. “You came here and met my whole family, chatted with my old aunts and played with the kids, shared the celebration of a new life with me and my sisters. No matter how nervous you were. I love you.”

“I love you too, dork. And your family are so wonderful, it’s nice to see you so at home with them. It even makes me love you a little more that you’re so great with them.” Daisy replied, smiling at him while he gazed at the large group surrounding them. He looked back to her and his heart fluttered in his chest. In the most natural move, he dipped his dead down and kissed her, the explosions in the sky drowned out by their feelings for each other.


	7. A Wolf in the Market

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every Saturday one street in town was shut off for the local open-air farmer’s market. Stalls of fresh fruit and smelly cheeses lined the street, attracting a lot of locals to the market to buy the goods. Daisy had never taken much notice of the market itself, instead realising that it not only brought more customers into the Lighthouse on Saturdays, but also increased the time it took to drive to the coffee shop, so it was easy to walk on Saturdays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// Fighting? Brief Mentions of manipulation and abuse (but not like graphic or more so than the show?)
> 
> Alright so you know how I said the rest of this wouldn't be angsty? Yeah well...
> 
> I didn't come up with this with it being as intense as it was, or as long but sometimes the words just flow. This is definitely out of my comfort zone but I'm here to try!
> 
> Also remembering I know Daisy is a badass, but in this universe, everyone needs protecting sometimes!
> 
> Hope you enjoy. I've got a real fluffy chapter in the works next!

Every Saturday one street in town was shut off for the local open-air farmer’s market. Stalls of fresh fruit and smelly cheeses lined the street, attracting a lot of locals to the market to buy the goods. Daisy had never taken much notice of the market itself, instead realising that it not only brought more customers into the Lighthouse on Saturdays, but also increased the time it took to drive to the coffee shop, so it was easy to walk on Saturdays.

However, after moving in with Daniel, she realised he had a much different approach to the weekly farmer’s market. She was surprised to find that the man loved to cook. His sister had said he learnt from their mother and he took it upon himself to do all the cooking when she died. He’d whip up a dinner in thirty minutes from what he randomly has in the fridge, and it was always delicious. Daisy on the other hand was a fan of ordering in or finding frozen food that could be thrown in the oven for 20 minutes and then be done. When Daniel came home one day to find Daisy panicking as smoke plumed out of the oven, he had decided to teach her to cook, if not just to save his kitchen from going up in flames at some point. So, they cooked together most nights, between stolen kisses and dances around the kitchen to songs that would play from Daisy’s phone. Daisy was a quick study with cooking, as she was with most things, but she enjoyed spending the time with him most of all. One of the first things Daniel had told Daisy was that fresh produce made all the difference to the end product. She was unsure how true that was, but Daniel enjoyed going to the Farmer’s Market and weaving between the stalls, talking to the vendors and handpicking produce for the meals that he had planned for the week.

That week was no different. Armed with their reusable bags and with Cooper happily trotting at Daisy’s heels they headed for the fruit and veg stand first. Daisy chuckled as Daniel pulled a face at some fruit, he didn’t like the look of. They continued wandering round the stalls, hand in hand when Daisy received a text from Coulson.

“Hey, Phil asked if we can pick up some of that weird cheese he likes, he wants to add it to a menu item this week.” Daisy said coming to a stop, as she tapped out a reply, releasing Daniel’s hand so she still had hold of Cooper’s lead.

“Ok, I know which one he means, so I’ll go get that. Do you want to go grab the bread and I’ll meet you up there, so we can head to the Lighthouse?” Daniel said shifting the bag in his hand.

“Yeah sure, I’ll take Coop with me, you know he can’t handle the cheese smell,” Daisy giggled at the memory of Daniel getting dragged across the market, towards the stand the first time they tried to bring the dog. She ruffled the dog’s ears, and looked up at Daniel, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. “See you in a minute.”

They parted ways, heading in opposite directions. Daisy noticed Cooper stuck very close to her, assuming it was something to do with the larger crowd at that end of the market. Stroking his head with the tips of her fingers, she carried on past the large crowd gathered around the stall where it seemed a demonstration of some bath product was being given. She could see the bread stall now and was already mentally trying to remember what Daniel had wanted her to order. Once she approached the stall, she gave her selections to the stall owner, who quickly busied herself packaging up the goods and taking the cash Daisy handed to her. Cooper was stood behind Daisy’s legs at this point, seemingly still anxious, which Daisy thought was weird, making her a little on edge but she pushed it to the back of her mind.

“Daisy? Is that you?” A familiar voice came from behind her. Daisy felt a shiver run down her spine and she immediately surveyed her surroundings for exit strategies. “Daisy?” She couldn’t put it off any longer, she turned slightly, and it confirmed who was trying to get her attention. Grant Ward. “Long time no see? How are you?” he asked, that sly smile across his face as he came to stand beside her. Daisy felt her blood run cold, her heart beginning to hammer in her chest.

“Leave me alone Ward.” She said with as much confidence as she could muster. She tightened her grip on Cooper’s lead, feeling the dog looking between her and the man who was trying to talk to her.

“Really Daisy? Can we not just talk?” Ward took one step closer to her, which Daisy mirrored with a step backwards, turning to the stall where the woman was holding out her order out to her. She thanked the woman and hastily stuffed the baked goods into the bag slung over her shoulder. As she moved to walk past Ward, he followed her, close on her heels, before moving in front of her. Cooper growled at him as he got too close, causing Grant to momentarily stop in his tracks.

“I see you got a dog.” He sneered, bending down to Cooper’s level and offering out his hand, as Daisy pulled the dog away. “Hey buddy, you look like a good-” He was immediately cut off by Cooper releasing an aggressive sounding bark. Ward stood up quickly, looking shaken for a beat, before returning to his usual slick tone of voice. “We shood talk, c’mon Daisy, I’ve not seen you in years.” And suddenly before Daisy could move, Ward had a vice-like grip on her arm, starting to drag her out of the market, and no matter how hard she struggled she couldn’t get him off.

“Let me go Ward!” she bit out, planting her feet firmly on the floor as he tried to get her to move. She heard familiar footsteps behind her, and suddenly remembered how to breathe.

“Hey sweetheart, who’s your new friend?”

* * *

“Thanks Joe, see you next week.” Daniel said, putting the cheese for Coulson in his bag and turned to walk back up the market, in the direction of both Daisy and the Lighthouse. He stopped briefly to watch a demonstration of some bath fizz product, when he heard a startled bark. It was immediately recognisable to him, Cooper rarely made a peep but when he did, it was usually for good reason. He weaved his way through the crowd, looking for any glimpse of Daisy or Cooper. He recognised Daisy a few stalls up from the bread stall, facing away from him, talking to a tall man, with hair was a short military style cut and a brown leather jacket pulled over his built figure. He was familiar but Daniel couldn’t quite put his finger on why. He watched as the man took hold of Daisy’s arm viciously and began to try and pull her away, Daisy planting her feet in response. Immediately he quickened his pace as well as he could, watching as Cooper’s hackles raised as he began growling and barking at the man. Daisy was clearly trying to pull away from him, but between the mystery man’s grip on her arm and her grip on Cooper’s lead she didn’t have anything to hit him with. He slowed on approach and figured he needed to bring attention to himself.

“Hey sweetheart, who’s your new friend?” He said putting a reassuring hand on Daisy’s back, pulling himself up to his full height. The suspicious man dropped Daisy’s arm as she began to turn towards Daniel.

“It’s Ward.” She murmured, just loud enough so Daniel could hear, clearly visibly shaken by the encounter.

“Hey man, just some old friend’s catching up. Isn’t that right Daisy?” Ward moved back towards Daisy, reaching out to touch her shoulder, causing her to flinch further into Daniel’s side. He’d never seen her like this, she was normally so confident and self-assured. Some of the stories she had told him from her childhood, meant he knew that she had quickly learned to defend herself, he even knew she’d fought with Ward before and come out on top, but right then she seemed to be in some stage of shock that kept her routed to one spot. Her eyes were wide and full of fear, making her look small and innocent, a mere whisper of the small scared orphan she had been all those years ago. Daniel caught Ward’s hand and pushed it away, earning a snarl from the man.

“Why don’t you leave her alone, Grant?” Daniel said, his usual calm voice undercut by the biting anger that had begun boiling in his stomach, the moment he found out who this guy was. Daisy had told him the basics of what had gone down between them that first night on the beach, and Jemma had filled in a couple of blanks over the past few years. The way he had treated Daisy and manipulated her, as well as the danger he’d put her and Fitzsimmons in was enough to ignite the anger within him.

“Or why don’t you leave _us_ alone. Daniel isn’t it?” Ward bit back. He made another step towards Daisy, but Daniel was a step ahead of him and got in front of her, pushing her behind him. She backed up slowly, still clutching Cooper’s lead, watching closely as Daniel stood protecting her.

“You need to leave.” Daniel repeated, glancing briefly back at Daisy.

“Or what?” Ward began squaring up to the author, he was intimidating, and a couple of inched taller for sure, but Daniel was running on some unbridled rage that was still burning through his being, meaning he refused to back down. It was Ward that swung first, a mean right hook, which Daniel dodged on instinct, blocking a secondary attack with his arm. This clearly took Ward off-guard as Daniel’s fist made an almighty crack as it connected with Ward’s nose, causing him to stumble backwards. A crowd was beginning to grow watching them exchange blows, which briefly caught Daniel’s attention, which Ward took to his advantage and managed to land a solid punch to Daniel’s gut and followed it up with a punch to the eye, the skin of his face splitting slightly with the impact. No matter how Daniel tried to fight back, his range of motion was more limited than Ward’s due to his leg. He used this to his advantage to go on the defensive, making sure that Ward was not able to get any closer to Daisy. He was tiring quickly though, not used to fighting people on the streets, something he could not say for certain about Ward.

Suddenly a familiar low voice sounds in Daniel’s ear, “Oh shit, Daniel!” He ignores it as Ward makes another surge forward in his attack and goes to defend himself, but the attack never lands. Instead he feels a pair of strong hands, steadying his own shoulders, and turns to see Mack stood beside him, supporting him as he almost fell off balance. Looking back to Ward, he sees a pair of police officers restraining him, as he tries to fight them off, looking every bit the crazed lunatic, nose bleeding and almost foaming at the mouth as they put him in the back of a cop car. His gaze falls on the crowd, who are beginning to retreat now the show is over and he sees Beatrice the bread lady giving a statement to a third police officer.

“It’s alright Dan, you did it. You’re okay. Daisy’s okay. He’s gone now” Mack said, sounding a little distanced as Daniel’s ears were still ringing slightly from the hit he took to the head. Everything felt a little bit fuzzy. Daisy. Daniel immediately whirled around to see Daisy was stood with Yo-yo, who was talking quietly as she had an arm around Daisy’s shoulders. Daisy caught Daniel’s eyes and surged forward towards him, colliding with his body as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He winced in pain, Ward had definitely done some damage to him but none of that mattered right now. All that matter was that Daisy was safe. He felt her tears soak through his shirt and began carding his hands through her hair as she let it all out. He was aware of Mack and Elena stood nearby watching them, and he was glad they had showed up when they did. Pulling away from Daisy slightly, his hands came up to frame her face, which was streaked with tear tracks.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Daniel said, looking her up and down to see if she had any injuries. She shook her head and fell back into his chest. “It’s okay, he’s gone. C’mon let’s get to the Lighthouse. Coulson still needs his cheese.” He joked slightly and was rewarded with a small smile from the woman in his arms. Cooper butted his head in between their legs, making his presence known to the couple. “Yeah, you’re the best boy. You were protecting your people, weren’t you?” Daniel said stroking the dog affectionately, noticing Daisy watching him move in his new injury-limited fashion. Interlocking their fingers, he sent her a smile, which he wasn’t sure was completely convincing, but he stooped to pick up the bags of produce that had fallen to the floor anyway, taking a moment as pain flared through his body. They gave a brief statement to the police officer’s before they walked the short remaining distance to the Lighthouse, with Mack and Elena seemingly flanking them on either side.

Daniel had never been more grateful for a lack of customers in the Lighthouse. The adrenaline rush of the fight had started to fade, and every step was becoming slightly more painful. Daisy clearly sensed this as she wasted no time in getting Daniel situated on the couch by the fireplace, sinking down beside him. Jemma emerged from behind the counter, with Fitz in tow, taking in the sight of a beaten and bruised Daniel.

“What the hell happened?” Fitz exclaimed as he raked his eyes over the bedraggled man in front of him.

“Ward.” Said Mack, darkly. “Jemma, can I get him some ice?”

“Yeah of course. Fitz grab the first aid kit from Coulson’s office.” Jemma said as she jumped into action. “Do you mind if I examine you Daniel, I do have a biology PhD, but I’m not an MD.” Daniel nodded, one hand still holding Daisy’s as she sat quietly beside him, eyes kind of empty as she reflected on events of the past hour. Cooper whined and jumped up on the couch next to Daisy, pushing his head down onto her lap, her free hand immediately going to stroke his head. Coulson followed Fitz in to the room with May close behind him surveying the scene unfolding in front of him, noticing Daniel shirt had blood dripped down the front of it. Fitz crossed to beside Jemma and opened up the first aid kit, while Mack entered with Ice and rested it on Daniel’s right hand, which was already beginning to bruise from where it had collided with Ward’s face.

“What happened?” Coulson asked looking from Mack to Daniel and then to Daisy who seemed to be hyper focussed on Cooper at that moment.

“I met Grant Ward today.” Daniel said gravely, wincing as Jemma dabbed the cut on this cheek with an alcohol swab. She apologised but, carried on addressing the wounds. “He tried to grab Daisy at the market.” Daniel continued, not wanting to bring it up again for Daisy, but she surprised him by speaking up.

“Slimy bastard grabbed my arm and started dragging me away. Coop stopped him before Daniel came.” She said, her eyes dark. “I couldn’t fight back, I don’t know why. I just-” Her shivered slightly, beginning to shake as her breathing and heart rate increased again. May appeared in front of her, having locked the front of the shop up, to avoid any customers coming in. The older woman lay her hands on Daisy’s knees, and began coaching her breathing, similar to an exercise they did in Tai Chi most mornings. Daisy focused on May entirely in that moment, blocking out everything else that was going on.

Coulson crossed the room and leant against the fireplace. “So, you dived in just like that to help her?” he questioned. Daniel nodded, as Jemma inspected his hand, manipulating it to test the damage.

“He sure did.” Mack explained, “We got there, and he was handling himself incredibly. Landed a couple of real blows to Ward before we could get to them. Daniel definitely managed to punch him so hard he broke his nose.” Coulson nodded, clearly impressed.

“Thank god, one of us did. I’ve been wanting to do that for bloody ages.” Fitz said, grinning at Daniel as he handed Jemma a bandage for Daniel’s hand.

“Me too.” Added May.

“And me.” From Elena.

“And me,” came unexpectedly from Jemma as she smirked, not pausing at all as she wrapped Daniel’s hand. “You should be fine, did he get you anywhere else?”

“He managed to get me in the gut, but I think its okay…” He said, nervously, although he did think that was where most of his pain was coming from. Jemma saw right through him, as usual.

“Nonsense. Open your shirt.” She motioned to everyone else in the room, “Can you give us some space please guys? Daisy, stay. I need to look at your arm.” Daisy made no attempt to move anyway but stayed put under Jemma’s orders. Coulson led the others out of the room but stopped to drop a kiss to his honorary daughter’s forehead.

“Grilled cheese?” He whispered and received a silent nod and a small smile that told him she was going to be okay. Carefully, he shut the kitchen door behind the group that had entered the kitchen.

Daniel briefly let go of Daisy’s hand to unbutton his shirt so Jemma could take a look at his abdomen. He wasn’t all that self-conscious, but he was glad the others had left. Jemma started rambling about placement of bruises in relation to organs and kind of lost Daniel at one point, as his ears were still kind of ringing.

“So, he’s okay?” Daisy asked quietly next to him, bringing him back to reality.

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s done any serious damage, but non-medical Dr Simmons prescribes a lot of rest and fluids. I’ve checked you for a concussion, and if you do have one its minor, so take these and you should be okay in a few days.” And she handed him some tablets. “And your hand is not broken, but the bandage should reduce swelling.” Daniel thanked her and Jemma shuffled down the coffee table she was perched on and held her hand out to Daisy to receive her arm, as Daniel did his shirt back up. Daisy reluctantly shrugged her coat off and held her left arm out to Jemma. She grimaced slightly at the clear print of a hand that was beginning to form where Ward had had his vice like grip on her. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought. Jemma gently ran her fingers over the bruises, checking for pain markers in Daisy’s behaviour. _‘So much for being just a ‘biologist’’_ Daisy thought to herself, as Jemma expertly inspected her arm.

“You should be fine, it’ll go away in a week or so. How are you feeling?” Jemma was giving her a pointed look, which implied she was asking for an honest answer.

“I’m a bit foggy, bit shaky. I’ll be okay Jem.” She said sincerely, a lot left unsaid, but Jemma knew anyway. They’d both been subject to Ward’s psychological manipulation before, and it had left them both rattled and leaning on each other for support. Daisy held Jemma’s hand in her own.

“I think Coulson was talking about a restraining order in the kitchen, he’ll sort it out for us.” Jemma said, gently squeezing her hand with a reassuring smile. “I’m gonna go and talk to him now, then I’ll get some tea on for us. Don’t think coffee is the best today.” She addressed the last part specifically to Daniel, getting a small chuckle out of Daisy.

“Thanks Jem, for everything.” She said to her best friend, who nodded and wandered to the kitchen, after one last squeeze of her hand.

Silence stretched over the room, the coffee shop eerily quiet with no one else in there. Daisy rested her head against Daniel’s shoulder, needing to be close to him to reassure herself of his presence. Gently he turned his head to rest on top of hers, grasping her hands in his one free hand that wasn’t under a bag of ice.

“Thank you,” she uttered quietly, “If you hadn’t been there…”

“But I was. And I will be, for as long as you let me.” Daniel turned his head to look her in the eyes, those beautiful brown eyes that he’d fallen in love with peering back at him. “I love you Daisy.” He moved to press a kiss to her temple, but she moved at the same time and captured his lips with her own.

“I love you too.” She said as they broke away. “I don’t know why I couldn’t stand up for myself today. It was so… unexpected. I just saw him there and when he grabbed me, I froze.” She said, seemingly reimagining the event as she shook her head. Daniel listened and contemplated before offering his view of the situation.

“It’s fight, flight or freeze. It’s completely natural, you did try to get away. And it was so strange to see him there, we’ve been there so many times and had a lovely time. But you’re safe now and that’s what matters. He’s been arrested.” He reassured her, “I have full confidence that you can take care of yourself, but if you need me. Here is where I’ll be.” Daisy curled herself further into his side, gently shifting Cooper who was now laying across both their laps.

“Phil always said he was a wolf in the herd. Didn’t think we’d ever see this particular wolf at the farmer’s market.” She murmured.

“We’ll be okay.” Daniel stated, mostly for Daisy’s sake, but for himself as well. He wasn’t the type who got into fights regularly, in fact he was normally the guy who dove in to break fights up in bars, but he knew he’d do anything to protect Daisy. They both sat there in silence, under the dimmed lights of the Lighthouse, taking comfort from each other and the sound of each other’s breathing and the gentle murmurings of their people in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had some really lovely comments recently so thank you!


	8. Nothing Else I Need in Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over the years, Daisy had gotten used to waking up to an empty bed. All her previous relationship attempts had ended with her sleeping alone, and at some point, she had resigned herself to the fact that was how her life was going to end up. Maybe she wasn’t good enough to find and keep love, that was not for her. That changed when a mysterious author wandered his way into The Lighthouse and into her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I have enjoyed writing this far too much, and definitely cried a little bit. 
> 
> I love these two and I hope you guys enjoy this.
> 
> Also there's a few references in here, from AoS and others so if you can find them let me know!

In the past two years, there was barely a day that went past without them being together for at least some part of their day, and when they finally got together as a couple, they never spent more than a couple nights apart, either when Daniel took trips back to New York for work, or if Daisy had to travel for an assignment from a client. Neither of which happened often, probably due to their own desires to be together as much as possible.

Daisy always thought of herself as an independent woman and despite being in a proper long-term relationship for the first time ever, she was glad she could still be defined as such. Daniel was always there to support her, but he wasn’t afraid to let her stand on her own, fully trusting in her own abilities and the fact she knew what she wanted. For years, she had yearned for a relationship like that of Coulson and May, both very much their own person but still fitting together seamlessly, the love for each other binding them together for life. Daniel was that for her. This funny, handsome, charming gentleman who looked at her with admiration and pride, but challenged her, making her a better person. It hadn’t taken long for her to fall in love with him, immediately caught up in him and within his arms, where she felt safe and secure.

That meant it was strange for her when the sunlight danced through the blinds that morning, waking her from her slumber, that the bed beside her was empty and cold. A groan escaped her lips as she realised why Daniel was not beside her. She remembered that she’d dropped him at the airport last night and slumped back onto her pillow. She couldn’t quite say when she had become so attached to Daniel, but now that he wasn’t here the was gaping hole in her life. _‘It’s only three days’_ she told herself. He had tried to get out of going, but Peggy had apparently insisted that he was needed for a book event in New York, as well as a couple of interviews for the title and cover release of the second Skye instalment. Ideally, she would have gone with him, but the Starks had requested her assistance with a project on the third day of Daniel’s trip, and she couldn’t turn down that level of work. So, she had dropped him at the airport the night before, shared a final kiss as he exited the car and then had gone to the Fitzsimmons’ house for dinner, before coming home to their shared apartment, the empty one she had helped him move into almost two years ago. Since she’d moved in, it had begun to look less like a complete bachelor pad, and Daniel had developed an obsession with keeping and looking after plants, so there was now greenery all over their living room. Cooper had curled up on the end of the bed in Daniel’s absence and she was grateful for the dog’s emotional intuition, knowing she didn’t want to feel alone that night.

Daisy groaned and rolled over in the bed, the scent of Daniel’s cologne filling her lungs as she leant against his pillow. It had been just 12 hours and she missed him, when did she become such a sap? She shook her head and sat up, leaning against her headboard and reached for her phone. Cooper clearly felt her shift, as he stood up from his spot by her feet and curled up next to her with his head in her lap. She pet him gently as she picked up her phone, smiling when she saw a message pop up from the man she was missing.

_‘Flight was fine, just about to go into the meeting now, will call later on. The weather is miserable, yet another reason I wish I was in Cali. Missing you – D x’_

She typed a quick reply before deciding to get ready for the day. All she had on today’s agenda was some coding prep for the Stark assignment, so it was definitely a self-care day.

“Well Coop, it’s just you and me today boy. Let’s go for a run, huh?” she said, looking expectantly at the dog who was perched on the bed, waiting for her to move. “Great, one day on my own and I’m already expecting the dog to talk back to me.” Moving to pull on some running gear, she wandered to the bathroom mirror and scraped her hair up into a pony tail. Once, she’d finished getting herself ready, she clipped a lead to Cooper’s collar and exited the building, heading to the seafront at a gentle warmup jog. As the ocean came into view, she picked up a quicker pace, Cooper keeping up with her the whole time. She took a break by the old pier close to where she and Daniel had sat that day, he came to find her passed out in her apartment. She let Coop off the lead on the beach and he went around sniffing the various scents he could find, occasionally lifting his head from the floor to check she was still there, waiting for him. Snapping a quick picture of her favourite pooch carrying the biggest piece of driftwood he could find, she giggled before sending it to Daniel. It took a minute to convince Cooper he couldn’t bring the massive log back to the apartment, but they were soon jogging back home, rejuvenated by the salt air coursing through their bodies.

Upon returning home, Daisy fed Cooper, before popping some toast in for herself. Moving to the bathroom, she began to run a bath for herself, lighting a candle and getting fresh towels out. Today was going to be relaxing, or at least an attempt to relax, without missing Daniel too much.

* * *

Or not. Daisy was wrapped up cosy in a dressing gown on the sofa, having finished all the work she needed to do for the day, and was currently stuck in to watching Celebrity MasterChef, while scoffing cereal from the box. Gordon Ramsey was just yelling at some reality TV star when her phone rang. It was Coulson, so she paused the TV and picked it up.

“What’s up AC?” she said, using an old familiar nickname.

“I need you to come in.” came his voice on the line, in a flat tone that Daisy hadn’t heard before.

“What? Why?” she questioned, reminding herself of a somewhat petulant teenage daughter at her own inflection.

“Erm, May and I are taking you out for dinner, you know because Daniel’s not here. Get dressed and come down.” He said slightly awkwardly, which didn’t get past Daisy.

“Coulson, what’s going on?” She asked, and his lack of immediate answer had her suspicious. After a beat of silence, she heard May take the phone, the lack of other background noise was also weird.

“Daisy put on a nice dress and get down here. Quick. No questions asked.” And with that the phone line went dead. Daisy sighed and looked at Cooper who was looking up at her expectantly from where he had nestled himself in Daisy’s blanket.

“Well, Coop. I don’t think you can come to a restaurant.”

* * *

Half an hour later, Daisy was sat at her dresser in the guest bedroom curling her hair, grateful that she’d unwittingly had a pamper day today. She’d pulled a dress from her closet that she’d bought on a shopping trip a while ago, but never had the opportunity to wear. It was a classy emerald green number, that ended just above her knees, hugged her curves well but had a neckline that wasn’t too revealing to wear to dinner with the couple who were practically her parents. After finishing her hair, she slipped into the dress and struggled to zip herself up for the next five minutes. Once she managed it, she was a bit stressed, wishing Daniel was there to help, but she shook it off, spraying perfume and reapplying her lipstick before rushing to the door, clutching her phone and car keys in right hand and a pair of black heels in her left. She fed Cooper his dinner before she left and wished him a goodnight before locking the door behind her, trying her best not to stumble in her heels.

The drive was short and sweet, the sunsetting as she turned down the alley behind the lighthouse, parking behind Lola, but not too close that Phil would worry she’d hit it. She hurried to the back door of the Lighthouse only to find it locked. She knocked but there was no answer and the cold chill in the air wasn’t encouraging her to wait around. Deciding it would be quicker to let herself in the front door, with her own key that she had on her car keys, she walked around the end of the alley and down the row of shops till she reached the front of the coffee shop.

The sight of the inside of the shop took her aback. As she pushed the door open to the shop, she saw that the furniture was almost all cleared out, and the main room was darker than normal. There were candles littered everywhere, giving the room a warm glow from the various flickering flames.

“Coulson? May?” she called out, receiving no answer. Suddenly a spot light shone down on something at the end of the counter. Carefully making her way to the counter she saw a picture on an easel, in the gap between the counter and the kitchen door. On closer inspection, she saw it was a picture of her and Daniel sat on the beach, facing away from the camera. It took her a minute to realise that it was from that night on the beach, from when she exposed all her trauma and expected him to run away screaming. But he didn’t.

Then the spot light went out, and another one appeared, to her left. And there was another easel in front of the storeroom door. This one was a photo she assumed Jemma or Bobbi had taken without her knowledge, taken from across the Thanksgiving bonfire, the warm light of the fire reflected on the subjects of the photo. Her and Daniel were sat side by side, leaning close to each other, as Daisy saying something that made Daniel laugh, causing his face to crease in the way she had become so familiar with.

Once again, the spotlight shifted and revealed another easel, with another picture that she hadn’t seen before on it, a landscape photo. It was of her and Daniel again, clearly at Christmas due to the decorations in the windows of the Lighthouse. They were dancing and laughing, with the biggest heart eyes on each other, and Daisy giggled when she remembered that they weren’t even together when this was taken. How stupid had they been to not see it before that night?

The next photo that popped up was in front of the fireplace and was slightly blurry and not clearly lit. It seemed to be an aerial shot of Daisy curled into Daniel’s left side on top of a pile of pillows while his right side acted as a pillow for Harper and George. It dawned on her that this must have been taken that first time they came to visit San Francisco, probably by Sophie or Sarah. Her heart was so warm at the memories, and they didn’t stop there. They carried on down the length of the shop. An unseen picture from the Stark Ball, of Daisy looking up at Daniel in that dress which they both loved. She released another giggle as a picture of her, Daniel and Cooper wearing matching Christmas jumpers, passed out all together on the Lighthouse sofa appeared from their second Christmas together. A candid photo of them dancing at the Fitzsimmons wedding, Daisy laughing wide and Daniel gave her a look of total admiration, their motion captured in the flow of her purple dress as they had spun round frozen in time within the frame. The next spotlight movement took her to the customer side of the counter, which she was not used to standing on. The picture was from the fourth of July, her wrapped in Daniel’s arms, twisted slightly to kiss him, as the fireworks light up the sky behind them. It took Daisy’s breath away as she realised all these photos highlighted some of the best moments of her relationship with Daniel. And then the spotlight went out. And there was a beat of silence, before it flickered on behind her, causing her to spin on her heels. The spotlight revealed Daniel, dressed in his best navy suit, wearing that charming smile that still made her heart skip a beat.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were in New York.” She said almost breathlessly, walking towards him and pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Yeah, I lied about that. I’m sorry.” He said, still smiling at her as she broke away from him.

“Daniel, what’s going on?” she asked, motioning around the room, the flicker of the candle light still casting moving shadows around the room.

“Well, that’s why I lied.” He cleared his throat and shifted slightly before taking both her hands in his. She looked down at them, before tipping her head back up to his eyes that were fixed on hers.

“Daisy, two years ago on this very spot, I sat in a new coffee shop in a new town, sipping a black coffee and you stumbled through the door and into my life. You took my breath away that day and every day since. Two years ago, tomorrow, you sat in the chair opposite me and slid half a muffin across the table, waiting to see my reaction to your best friends. You captured my heart, through that laugh that makes my own heart leap and through your beauty that makes me feel unworthy of you. Whether it’s getting all dressed up to go to fancy ball’s or eating takeout in our living room dressed in sweats with Cooper snoring in the corner, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side than you. You astound and surprise me every day, and there is nothing else I need in life than you.” He was looking down at their hands now, squeezing hers slightly as he talked. Daisy was in some kind of shock, as she listened to the love of her life, talk about them. “And if there is life has taught me anything, it’s that you can’t let it pass you by without the ones you love. And I love you Daisy, beyond measure, to any nebula and back. So, with that being said…” He let go of her hands and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, before sinking down on one knee, somewhat awkwardly and unbalanced as he positioned his prosthetic to support him.

Daisy took in a sharp breath and stepped backwards slightly as she realised what he was doing. He smiled up at her at her reaction, that goofy smile that she couldn’t get enough of. He produced a small velvet box, prying it open to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. “Daisy Johnson, will you make me even more happy than I thought I’d ever be, and marry me?”

Daisy felt all the wind knock out of her in one fowl swoop, her throat dry as she looked at Daniel, holding out that beautiful ring on one knee in front of her.

“Of course, I will Daniel.” She rushed forward towards him and fell to her knees, meeting him in a passionate kiss, pouring all the emotions she was feeling into him. When they broke away, they were both wearing wide smiles, as Daniel took the ring and pushed it onto her slender fingers. She looked at it as it sat on her finger, a foreign sensation yet so welcome. She leant against him as she admired it and felt him press a kiss to the top of her head.

“It was my mom’s.” He stated. Daisy looked at him shocked, about to start jabbering about how his sister’s had surely more right to it that she did, but he stopped her before she even started. “Ma left it to me, to give to my future wife. Both Sarah and Sophie suggested I give it to you, before I even tried to bring it up with them. You almost walked in on them giving it to me, when we were there for the fourth of July.”

Daisy’s eyes flickered back to the ring, taking in the simplicity and elegance of it.

“I love it.” She muttered, before looking back at him. “And I love you, more than words I can produce. You’re the writer in this relationship after all.” They met again in a tender kiss, before standing up, Daisy helping Daniel gently.

Suddenly a voice broke the gentle silence that Daisy had now grown accustomed to.

“Can we come in yet? We’re dying out here!” Daisy instantly recognised Coulson’s voice.

“Yes!” she called, leaning into Daniel as he wrapped his arms around her, his warm lips against her hair.

The kitchen door swung open and Coulson was the first around the counter, closely followed by May, Jemma and Fitz. They all stopped and looked at the couple for confirmation. Daisy smiled up at Daniel, before producing the newly decorated hand.

“We’re engaged!” she giggled and was met by an explosion of noise from her family. She’s pretty sure Jemma screamed. They were both suddenly surrounded and pulled into hugs of congratulations all round. Jemma was by far the most excited.

“See I can keep a secret! I’ve not said anything, and it’s been like two months.” She said, mainly directed at Fitz.

“I dunno Jem, you came pretty close a couple of times.” Fitz said to his wife, which earned him a playful slap to the arm.

“Wait- so how long have you guys known about this?” Daisy interrupted, and everyone broke into smiles around her. It was Daniel who spoke up,

“Well that’s another story so let’s get the champagne out before we tell that one.”

* * *

_*a couple of months previous*_

That was oddly reminiscent of his first trip to the lighthouse, it was a Saturday morning, and the roads were quiet as Daniel walked down the seafront on his way into town. Of course, there was some key differences from his life two years ago, namely the dog trotting by his heels and the beautiful women that he’d left in bed in their shared apartment that morning. On top of that, he had a set destination that morning. His feet carried him to the front of the coffee shop as if on instinct. He took a deep breath as he pushed the door open, the smell of coffee hitting him in a comforting and familiar way. He sidled around the line of customers and greeted Jemma, pointing to the office as she raised an eyebrow at him, but continued to serve the next person in line with a smile. Knocking on the door of the office, he twisted the old-fashioned door knob and let Cooper head in first.

“Hey Guys!” Coulson greeted them, reaching to pet Cooper as he put his head into the man’s lap. “What brings you to my office this early on a Saturday Daniel?”

Daniel shifted nervously, checked no one was in the kitchen before shutting the door behind him, finally looking the man in the eyes for the first time since he entered.

“I need to talk to you about something. And it’s not because it’s necessary, but I love her, and I need to do something but I’m not sure about how to go about it.” He began to ramble, which left Phil looking cluelessly at him.

“Is something wrong with Daisy?” Coulson asked, going into full on worried dad mode immediately.

“NO- no! Nothing’s wrong, I just well-” Daniel reached into the pocket of his jeans, sliding the small velvet box he retrieved from it across the wooden surface of the desk towards Phil. Phil stilled, looking at the box, and then back to Daniel and then back to the black box. “You’re the closest person to Daisy’s father, and I know you and May think of her as your daughter, so I just wanted to…ask for your blessing?”

There was a beat of silence, and Phil Coulson reached for the small box, opening it and admiring the ring that sat inside.

“This is beautiful Daniel.” He said solemnly, before pausing for another stretch of silence that made Daniel’s stomach swirl with nerves, making him feel physically nauseous. “Of course, you have my blessing. I’ve never seen Daisy happier than when she’s with you.” Both men broke into wide smiles, as Daniel let out the breath he’d be holding.

“Thank you, Phil, I plan on helping her stay that way for the rest of my life.” He confessed, running a hand through his hair.

“I know you do. And I appreciate you thinking about me. But don’t forget about what I said to you that first Christmas. May scares everyone, and she could probably take us all down in the time it would take us to plan an escape.” He said somewhat seriously, but with a hint of smile at the last part.

“Actually, speaking of May, where can I find her?”

Daniel shouldn’t have been surprised that May was doing Tai Chi at 8:30am on a Saturday. He followed Coulson’s directions to her usual spot on the beach, and it wasn’t long till he spotted the silhouette of Melinda May, moving through a range of clearly practised movements. It was probably Daniel’s innate self-preservation skills that told him not to interrupt the woman mid-session, so he took a seat on a nearby bench and sipped the coffee he’s grabbed from Jemma, placing the green tea Coulson had mentioned was May’s favourite as he had left the office, beside him. Most of his nerves had settled after broaching the subject with Coulson, but Daniel thought it only right to ask May for her blessing as well. Over the past couple of years, Daniel had gotten to know the woman pretty well, he had worked out her sense humour (surprisingly she was a fan of pranks) and how to get a smile and laugh out of the normally stoic woman. He saw how she cared for Daisy in such a mothering way, and the way she just had the respect of everyone in her life. The nerves started to grow again, so Daniel focussed on the rhythm of the waves crashing against the sand. Cooper has gone to sleep across his feet, paws tucked under him on the sand covered tarmac, sunbathing in the early morning sun as it was rising in the sky.

When he saw May still for several moments before rolling up her yoga mat, he decided to stand up and meet her at the edge of the sand. She acknowledged his presence as she approached him and Cooper, briefly stooping to stroke the dog before taking the offered green tea.

“What are you doing here Sousa?” she questioned, completely straight faced, as they began to walk back up the boardwalk. Daniel took a deep breath and decided straight-to-the-point was probably the best option.

“IwanttoaskforyourblessingtomarryDaisy.” He managed to get out in one breath. When he looked to the woman beside him, he saw that her expression had changed slightly, as if pondering the concept. She came to a standstill.

“I assume you just came from asking Phil the same thing?” she said, gesturing to the cup in her hand, to which he responded with a nod. “And he gave you his blessing?” Another nod. And then Melinda May did something he could not have foreseen in a million outcomes. She hugged him. He tensed at first in surprised but then managed to gather himself to wrap his arms around the small woman. It wasn’t more than a moment before she pulled away again and looked up at him with tearful eyes.

“May…” he started but was quicky cut off.

“Nope, I’m going to get this out. You two are good together. You make her happier than we’ve ever seen her. But I swear to god if you hurt my girl, I’ll kill you.” Daniel smiled at how similar yet different her and Coulson’s reactions had been.

“I’ll support her till the day I die.” He said, and just like that May seemed to shift back to her normal indifferent disposition. But something was different, she was smirking. When Daniel asked what she was thinking, as they began walking up the beach again, she smiled wider.

“Oh, Hunter owes me $20.”

* * *

There was two more people that needed to be included for his plan to work. He wasn’t worried about their reactions per say, but that didn’t stop him being a bundle of nerves as he sat at their dining room table, directly opposite from them as Jemma poured tea for them all. He’d already had to organise this meeting without Daisy knowing and he hated lying to her, so he’d chosen to use selective truths to ease his conscience. When Jemma sat down finally, both her and Fitz looked at him expectantly. He cleared his throat and slid the velvet box he’d been fiddling with out of sight, across the table between them. They both went wide-eyed and glanced at each other before looking at Daniel.

“You’re going to propose?” Jemma asked excitedly, reaching to open the box. “Oh Daniel, this is beautiful.” Turning it so Fitz could have a look, and he nodded.

“Very nice, and we’re happy for you but, why are you telling us this?” the Scotsman asked.

“Well, I have a plan, and I need some help to execute it.”

They spent the next hour or so to talk about the plan, to the point where Fitz fetched a dry-erase whiteboard so they could be as accurate and detailed as possible.

“So, Phil picks you up from the airport, takes you to wherever you’re going to sleep that night, which is still being organised. Daisy comes here to have dinner with Jemma and I, and then the next day we set up the Lighthouse, get Coulson or May to get Daisy down there and then plan’s in motion.” Fitz said, pointing along with the points on their timeline. “Now what exactly are we going to put in the lighthouse for the proposal itself?” Daniel thought long and hard, maybe he should write poems like a treasure hunt.

“Give me one minute,” Jemma said before darting off to the small room off the kitchen that was used as their at-home office. She returned moments later, clutching a tablet and furiously tapping on the screen. “I’ve been collecting a few photos, thought it would be a good Christmas present for Daisy, but I think this would be better.” She handed Daniel the tablet and he began to flick through the photos.

“I’ve never seen any of these before. These are perfect Jemma.” Daniel said, awed by the photos she had collected. “I bet my sisters have taken a few we could add in, they’re a bit snap happy. We could put these around the Lighthouse?”

“I could rig a lighting system for the shop, so we could light them one by one, under some spotlight type things, and then the last one could reveal you?” Fitz said, clearly doing calculations in his head as he spoke

“That sounds great Fitz. I don’t know how I’m going to keep this a secret for two months.”

“Well, I won’t have a problem with it.” He said before turning to his wife, “But Jem, you can’t say anything or act weird around her.” Jemma looked shocked at Fitz’s utterance, but Fitz just turned to Daniel. “She’s a terrible liar.”

“I am not!”

“Do you want to talk about Sitwell again?” Fitz shot back.

“That was 100% Daisy’s fault, and I have got a lot better. I promise I won’t say anything Daniel.”

Daniel laughed at the interaction and nodded, maybe the plan would work out well. Operation: Proposal was in progress.


	9. Distance Between Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Distance seemed to be an important theme in Daniel’s life. It was the need for distance from his old life that prompted his move to the West Coast, but the thing he disliked the most about it was the distance from his family. And right now, his distance from California was what made him miss it the most, well the distance from his fiancé at the very least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why am I like this? This is so much longer than I thought it was going to be, but hopefully you enjoy it 🙃. 
> 
> I've realised that a large amount of Author!Sousa is inspired by my other favourite show Castle, which is fun. He's also a bit of a sap apparently 😅
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Distance. Distance seemed to be an important theme in Daniel’s life. It was the need for distance from his old life that prompted his move to the West Coast, but the thing he disliked the most about it was the distance from his family. And right now, his distance from California was what made him miss it the most, well the distance from his fiancé at the very least. It had been two weeks since he’d kissed her goodbye at the door of their apartment building, bidding her a sad goodbye as he was whisked away to the airport in a private car. Book tour was fun, it always had been for him, but this time it was harder. He loved meeting the readers of his books, especially for the Skye series as the readers were often younger and had wild questions or theories about what was going to happen next to Skye and her team. A round of questions was quickly followed up with a long line of book signings, which was less fun, but Daniel took the time to greet every person with a smile and tried to learn a little about them, even if it got a little monotonous after a while. And there were always the flirty mothers to contend with, which was uncomfortable to say the least.

The tour had started off in New York, which meant he got to see his family, which was great. And he got dragged to fancy dinners by Peggy and Jack Thompson, which was less great and slightly awkward at times but enjoyable all the same. The other cities were always exciting, but between events there was so little time, he felt like he was living on a plane, which although may be thought of as cool, it got a little boring when you’re on your own. Daisy had been scheduled to fly out for a visit in Boston the previous weekend but a problem with a Stark assignment meant she was needed in Malibu. He missed her more than words he could express, and daily phone calls and video chats were the best part of his day, but Daniel couldn’t help but feel like they weren’t enough.

Now sat in his first class seat as the plane taxied to the Chicago O’Hare International Airport, he switched his phone on to find a message waiting for him from her, which he opened immediately. It was a picture of his future wife and Cooper sat cuddled up on the beach, the golden light of the sun shining down on her face, and those warm chocolate eyes that made him feel at home. The dopey face that Cooper was making as he was leant back into Daisy made Daniel laugh under his breath, and the sight of his mother’s ring glistening on her hand warmed his heart, serving as a reminder that they had a lifetime together ahead of them. He could make it through one more week without her in his arms. As much as he disliked it.

‘ _Have a safe flight, we’re missing you more than you know – Daisy x ’_

He sighed as he read the message and let her know he had landed safely and was indeed missing them too. Next order of business was carefully practiced over the past two weeks, he got off the plane, grabbed his luggage and met his driver who was holding his name out on a small sign. The sight of the new city distracted him as they got to the hotel. He called Daisy once he got to the room, ordered a little room service to keep himself going. He sat on Skype with her as she coded, the tapping of keys a comforting and familiar sound as he ate his dinner. When he went to bed that night, he felt the familiar pang of longing when there was no Daisy in the bed beside him, hogging the covers or running her cold feet up his leg to ‘warm them up’. He stared up at the ceiling and shut his eyes, longing for sleep to take him so he could ignore how much he was missing her. Although it wasn’t a sound theory, as more often than not his dreams these days were of her. His Daisy.

* * *

Over the past few years, Daniel’s old routine of getting up early had faded, usually due to being wrapped up in bed tangled with Daisy, who could probably sleep soundly for days on end. However, waking up alone had led him to revert back to his old routines, so he was awake before 7:30am after a slightly restless night of sleep. After putting his leg on and getting ready for the day, he took the time to look at the city out of the expansive hotel room window, the familiar site of skyscrapers rising from the ground into the grey, cloudy sky. Talk about pathetic fallacy, huh? He shook his head and the swirling feeling in his gut that made him want to board a plane back to San Francisco right then and there. One more week and then he’d be there. Home. He planned to explore some more of the city that morning, find some breakfast and then attend his book event, before he was whisked away to his next city.

Breakfast wasn’t difficult to find, there was plenty of options in the city, even this early in the morning. Wanting some taste of home, he picked a coffee shop in the city centre and ordered a black coffee and a muffin from a stern looking barista that basically grunted at him when he tried to make friendly conversation. Taking his order to sit in the window, he was only disappointed that the taste of both was not what he wanted, it wasn’t the familiar feeling of home he was so desperately seeking. He sighed, when had it become so difficult to be away from California? From Daisy. From his new life. It showed him how truly happy he was out there, that moving there had been the best decision he had ever made.

He busied himself the rest of the day, popping into random book stores for a browse, and writing a postcard to send to his nieces and nephews, like he did from every city he visited. He grabbed some lunch to go before Peggy rang him to debrief him on this signing, which was strange since he was pretty used to them by now. It was no different than a normal one, a Q+A where they would ask him questions and then a long book signing, but Daniel was off put by the tone Peggy was using in the phone call. Something was up, and she wouldn’t tell him what was different, and he knew better than to argue with her. So, he retreated to the hotel, changed his denim jacket and t-shirt for a grey button down and waited for his car in the hotel lobby.

Forty minutes later, he sat at the front of the small crowd in the back of a bookstore, watching as the seats filled and people started standing at the back of the room against the colourful bookshelves. The questions went well, he got the normal ones about how he became a writer and what was going to happen to Skye next, all of which had become carefully rehearsed answers, but one from a young girl, probably about 13, took him by surprise.

“I want to be an author. How do you decide what to start writing about? How do you get inspired?” she had asked, a notepad and pen clutched in her hand, ready to apparently take notes on whatever he was going to say as his answer. What was he going to answer? Daniel paused for a second before starting his answer.

“That’s a great question. For me, I take inspiration from real life and then let my imagination build a story. It may be based on something that happens or from a person and their character, something I can hook onto and develop a narrative from. Skye is inspired by someone I’m close to and when I met her, I realised how so strong and fiercely independent she is. When she spoke, I could just see all these plot points for the story in my mind. So, I started with creating one main character and then planned what the story should show about her, until it all came together into the book. Does that answer your question?” he said, trying his best to be coherent, without rambling on about Daisy as his heart wanted him to.

“Yes, thank you so much.” The girl answered, still scribbling furiously in her notebook.

The rest of the questions went smoothly, and he received a round of applause at the end, which made his cheeks flush with embarrassment every time. Soon he was following one of the shop employees to his signing table, and after taking a brief sip of water the first book was in front of him ready to sign. Daniel lost track of how many books he had signed at one point, but he tried to greet each person with a smile and a kind word.

“Hi, how are you guys doing today?”

“Thank you so much, who can I make this out too?”

“I’m glad to hear that,”

“I hope you enjoy this one just as much.”

“What’s your name? That’s lovely.”

He spotted the girl who had asked him the insightful question and took an extra few moments with her, before writing a personal message in the book as he signed. She thanked him profusely and a woman he assumed was her mother, took a photo of the pair of them. He waved her off and the employee who was stood with him let him know he only had 5 people left in line. Smiling and steeling himself for a few more, he looked up to the next person. The penultimate person had a very small little girl with them who reminded him of Harper, so after signing the book and taking a picture, his heart melted when she turned back to him as they were leaving and waved goodbye. He waved back, and then realised another book had been put in front of him. Distracted slightly, he flipped open the front cover of the book without looking up and picked up his pen.

“So sorry about that, who can I make this out to?”

“You can make it out to Daisy, although I’m sure Coulson would appreciate an authentic signed copy.”

* * *

Daisy hadn’t expected to get a phone call from Peggy Carter, when she was buried knee deep in code for some infernal project Howard Stark had hired her for. Immediately she panicked thinking something had happened to Daniel, this distance thing had was worry inducing after spending so much time side by side. Not to mention she was missing him terribly.

“Peggy? What’s wrong?” she said quickly into the phone.

“Well hello to you too!” Peggy chimed back, “Nothing’s wrong, or immediately wrong. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Oh okay,” Daisy let out her breath, “Sorry, what’s up?”

“Well Jack and I went to dinner with Daniel in Salt Lake City a couple of days ago and he really wasn’t himself. He’s missing you, we could both tell, and I know your plans were scuppered last weekend. I was just wondering if you’d let the publishing house fly you out to see him. Kind of a surprise visit?” Daisy was kind of speechless at the sudden proposition. “Daisy, are you still there?” Peggy asked, her British accent ringing through her phone.

“Yeah, yeah I’m still here.” Daisy said, snapping back to reality. “I would love to Peggy, but this work I’m doing for Howard is really busy right now, I don’t think I could ask him for a few days off in the middle of it.”

“Oh, you leave Howard Stark to me, I’ll sort him out.” Peggy said forcefully, Daisy could practically hear her eyes rolling over the phone. “Sousa’s going to be at a signing in Chicago tomorrow, do you want to do it there?”

And the next thing she knew, she was being shuffled into the back of a book shop in Chicago, after dropping Cooper off with Fitzsimmons and throwing a few outfits into a bag before boarding a plane. She had been met at the airport by a private driver holding a sign with her name on it, and he had driven her to the back of the bookshop where she was met by a friendly book shop employee. She’d not spoken to Daniel much, apart from a phone call the previous night and a few normal text messages about the Stark project and how Cooper had bowled Fitz over in the Lighthouse that morning, that wasn’t technically untrue. She straightened her spotty tea dress and quickly checked her hair in the reflection of her phone screen. The employee was clearly a fan of Daniel’s, but she sweetly made conversation with Daisy.

“We could sneak you onto the upper floor if you want, so you can hear part of the Q+A? No one will be able to see you, but we can listen?” Daisy agreed, having never seen or heard Daniel in one of these sessions before. So, there she stood, catching glimpses of her future husband through bookcases as he answered questions from his audience. He was sat on a chair, looking as handsome as ever, that grey button down doing him all kind of favours, his natural curls tamed into a more professional slicked-back look, but paired with that smile she loved so much. One particular question about inspiration caught her attention and she watched as Daniel answered it, knowing he was talking about her, and he carefully chose his words as he addressed the young girl who had asked the question. Her heart fluttered as she listened to him speak. He was clearly comfortable in this environment and it was nice to see him so confident in his work, even talking about her.

Soon enough the questions were finished up and the actual signing began. The employee she had been with told her it would be at least an hour, so she sat in the back of the bookshop sipping an iced coffee they’d got for her and waiting to be called upon. The employees all seemed to be excited at the prospect of a surprise and she smiled along with them as they bobbed in and out of the room to give her a countdown of how many people were left in line to meet Daniel.

Finally, the woman she’d been with all night, Beth, lead her out of the alcove she’d been sat in and she joined the final few people in line. She hung back as a final family went in, watching from a distance as Daniel interacted with them all happily, waving goodbye to the little girl as they left. She picked up a copy of the second Skye book off of a pile and slid it across to him, and his attention was drawn back to the book, not looking up at her just yet, causing a small smile to cross her lips.

“So sorry about that, who can I make this out to?”

“You can make it out to Daisy, although I’m sure Coulson would appreciate an authentic signed copy.” She said, supressing a giggle as his head shot up to look at her. His eyes sparkled as he made the realisation and he looked shocked to see her. As he stared at her, a huge smile lit up his face.

“How- When- I can’t believe you’re here.” He stammered out, as he practically jumped up from the table and approached her, pulling her in for a sweet, tender kiss, the feeling of his body against hers sending a tingle down her spine. Daisy reciprocated immediately, her hands coming up to the collar of his shirt, pulling him in ever closer to her. Two weeks was too long, she’d missed this.

“I missed you so much, I’ve been miserable.” He confessed as he pulled away from her lips, keeping his arms firmly wrapped around her waist, as if scared that when he let go, she’d be gone.

“Well Peggy and Jack assumed as much and told me so, but I missed you too.” Daisy said, resting her forehead against his, also wanting to stay close to him.

“Ah, so that’s why she was being so cagey on the phone.” Daniel said, putting all the pieces together like he was a detective solving a case.

“But it was a good surprise, huh? You didn’t expect it?”

“Not at all, in fact I’ve spent the whole day, or whole week in reality, realising how much I missed you. I don’t want to be apart for that long again. I missed you too much.”

“I feel the same. I think Coop missed you too to be fair, he’s moved into your spot on the bed.”

“Yeah well, he can have it for now. Because I have you all to myself now, and in one week I’ll be back in Cali. Back home with you.” Daniel said, drawing her into another kiss. Daisy smiled against his lips.

They made their way out of the bookstore, after Daisy made sure Beth got a signed copy of the book from Daniel, giggling like teenagers in young love. Walking through the streets of Chicago on the hunt for dinner, they were content to just be with each other, fingers intertwined and shoulders bumping against each other. The evening was approaching but for them, it felt like the sun had just come out, warm and comforting, the distance finally closed between them as they stole kisses on street corners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to keep updates regular but I'm mid way through my other canon Daisy/Sousa fic, if you're looking for more of these two 💛.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos, they really do make me so happy 🥰.


	10. To Land Among the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They’d been at the house, Daisy trying to cheer up a frustrated Jemma who had been on bed-rest for the past two weeks of her pregnancy on Doctor’s orders. They’d been laughing as they flicked back through their camera rolls, reminiscing about the early Lighthouse days and pranks they had pulled on Fitz. Daisy had left for literally two minutes to grab some water for them, and when she came back, Jemma was looking panicked, a hand either side of her large baby bump.
> 
> “My water broke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this took me ages to write, not due to lack of inspiration but just that it was so hard to get right and I'm still not sure I've done it justice.
> 
> This collection is also now longer than the original story in terms of word count, which is nuts.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

It felt like her head was about to fall off, the rushed, panicked thoughts swirling together as she paced the perimeter of the waiting room. Flashes of Jemma screaming flickered through her mind, and the sound of her own heartbeat thundered in her ears. Her brain was struggling to catch up with what was and had been happening, for almost an hour now. They’d been at the house, Daisy trying to cheer up a frustrated Jemma who had been on bed-rest for the past two weeks of her pregnancy on Doctor’s orders. They’d been laughing as they flicked back through their camera rolls, reminiscing about the early Lighthouse days and pranks they had pulled on Fitz. Daisy had left for literally two minutes to grab some water for them, and when she came back, Jemma was looking panicked, a hand either side of her large baby bump.

“My water broke.”

At that statement, Daisy tried to supress her panic and yelled at the top of her lungs for Fitz, who came running in from the workshop they’d set up in the garage. Looking equal panicked as Daisy felt as he realised the situation, it took Jemma screaming at them to get them moving. Within 10 minutes, they were bundled into the car, Daisy at the wheel of their prepacked car as Fitz tried to comfort his wife, who was screaming. Even Daisy knew that wasn’t normal, wasn’t it supposed to come in waves? Contractions? That’s what she had picked up from the book that Jemma had left at the Lighthouse.

When they eventually reached the hospital, they were immediately whisked into a room where the doctors and nurses started hooking Jemma up to all these machines, her still writhing in pain as she tried to answer their questions. To give Fitz his due, he was doing very well filling in what Jemma couldn’t and comforting her. Jemma had one hand clinging on to Fitz and the other squeezing Daisy’s hand so tight she couldn’t feel it anymore. There were words being thrown around such as ‘distress’ and ‘fluid loss’. A sudden influx of nurses into the room and Daisy was being ushered out despite her protests and need to be there for her friends.

“Ma’am there’s nothing you can do, please go the waiting room and let us do our jobs.”

And that’s where she found herself, hopelessly pacing the pale linoleum floor so much that she was surprised it wasn’t wearing away under her feet. Tears were filling her eyes as she thought of Jemma desperately clinging to Fitz, her cheeks stained with tears. She nervously spun her wedding ring on her hand, trying to ground herself with the repetitive motion. Behind her, the waiting room doors flung open and she heard someone calling her name. She turned on her heel to see Coulson in front of her, flanked by Daniel and May.

“We got your message, what’s going on?” Coulson asked worriedly, approaching her as her face softened upon seeing them but the tears were falling now.

“I don’t know- they kicked me out.” Her chest felt tight, her breathing getting quicker. “I couldn’t do anything- something about distress.” She trailed off. She felt a familiar set of arms pull her against her husband’s chest, as he muttered reassurances to her, his lips pressed against her hair as she sobbed. Coulson laid a hand on her shoulder,

“I’ll go see what they’ll tell me, see if I can get an update, okay?” he said in a soft tone that was mainly reserved for Daisy, before wandering over to the small nurse’s station, May close behind him.

“Let’s sit down, okay?” Daniel said, leading Daisy to a section of plastic chairs. They sat down and she immediately curled into his side, her erratic sobs starting to slow down. “They’ll be okay Dais- it’ll be okay.” In his arms is always where Daisy felt safest, his strong arms creating a cocoon where nothing could touch her, where her troubles normally melted away in his embrace. They weren’t melting away right now, the heavy weight of her anxiety was like a stone in her stomach, but her heart rate was beginning to return to normal as her tears made a damp patch on Daniel’s shirt. Daisy couldn’t stop thinking about the day Jemma told her and Daniel she was pregnant. How they had cried with happiness together, highlighting the lasting bond between sisters as their lives progressed. How they dragged Fitz around every baby store in the San Francisco area, picking out cute outfits and researching the best stroller.

As Coulson and May returned and sat down opposite them, Daisy lifted her head to see if there was any news.

“They wouldn’t tell us much, but Jemma is stable. They’re evaluating whether they need to do a c-section.” Coulson said quietly, and Daisy took note of the tight grip he had on May’s hand. The doors swung open and more familiar faces ran into the waiting room. Mack was the first one to spot them and pointed Elena, Bobbi and Hunter towards them. As they approached, the question on all of their minds was clear from their faces. “Jemma is stable, it’s a waiting game now.”

“We better settle in then.” Mack said, sitting down next Coulson. And they all sat there, taking up over half of the waiting room, worriedly waiting for any news. Hours went past and small talk was made but everyone was nervous. Hunter was driving Bobbi nuts as he bounced his knee.

“It’s not my fault Bob! My best mate and his wife are having a baby. I’m a little nervous!” he exclaimed.

“We thought you two might not be here for this.” Mack stated in the direction of the journalist and her partner.

“Are you kidding? Bobbi hasn’t taken any new assignments for two months waiting for this.” Hunter replied, pointing to his better half.

“Yeah well I wasn’t going to let these two get a head start on the favourite Aunt competition.” Bobbi retorted, motioning to Daisy and Elena, getting a smile out of the pair of them.

More time was passing and to avoid watching the seconds tick by on the big clock everyone had their own strategies. Mack and Hunter left to find food, returning 45 minutes later with 8 coffee’s and a box of donuts. Trust Hunter to find a good bakery open near the hospital. Bobbi went took up Daisy’s previous floorspace and was pacing, while twirling pens in between her fingers. Elena and Coulson were playing a card game, with a pack of cards Hunter had provided from his rucksack. Meanwhile Daisy had almost collapsed with exhaustion after the adrenaline had worn off, so she was napping with her head in Daniel’s lap and her feet in May’s, both of whom were reading trashy magazines that had been provided in the hospital. Daniel’s spare hand was interlocked with his wife’s. The smell of the coffee roused Daisy from her uneasy slumber and she sat up groggily to except her cup from Mack.

The coffee was gone and most of the donuts were eaten when a new set of doors opened and Fitz stumbled through, looking slightly dazed and overwhelmed. Everyone jumped up and looked to him as he approached the group, waiting in anticipation for him to speak. There was a moment of silence as Fitz looked around the group.

“Well, what’s happened mate?” Hunter asked impatiently, earning him an elbow to the ribs from both Bobbi and Elena.

“We- we have a daughter.” And the waiting room was suddenly alive with cheers and whoops, and celebratory claps on the shoulder for the new dad. Daisy herself launched herself at Fitz who met her in a tight hug. “Jemma is fine, just recovering.” He said to the whole group as Daisy pulled away from him.

“And the baby?” May said, her face still slightly concerned.

“It was a bit complicated, but she’s fine. Perfect actually.” Fitz said, a proud smile crossing his face. “Jemma wants you can all come see her but if Daisy, May and Coulson could come first?” Everyone nodded in agreement, and Daniel put a hand on Daisy’s back, gently pushing her to follow Fitz, as she was momentarily frozen at the realisation, she had a niece now. May squeezed her hand as they walked down the halls that all looked the same, until Fitz pushed open a door and they all followed him in.

The sight they were met with made them all stall slightly. Jemma was sat in the bed, looking tired but there was a huge smile on her face when she saw them. Daisy edged her way closer to the bed, the worries from all those hours ago still whirring through her mind. But they all melted away, when she saw the tiny life that was swaddled in her best friend’s arms.

“Jemma,” she gasped open mouthed. “That’s a baby.”

“Thanks Daisy, I am aware.” Jemma said, chuckling slightly.

“Guys, she’s beautiful.” Coulson said, stood next to Fitz on the other side of the bed, who was handing out hand sanitiser like a protective father already.

“She really is, she looks just like you Jemma.” May said, gently stroking the babe’s cheek with her finger. Daisy was still sort of frozen as she watched the baby squirm.

“You want to hold her, boss?” Fitz said, elbowing Coulson lightly and nodding to his new born daughter. Coulson nodded excitedly, and Jemma transferred the baby into his arms carefully, before settling back into the pillows on her bed. Daisy watched as Coulson cradled the baby girl, Fitz almost hovering by his side as if he was going to drop her. May went to his side and rested her head against her husband’s shoulder, admiring the new member of the family. After snapping a picture on her phone, Jemma turned to see Daisy, still not talking but just watching the baby, who was wiggling slightly in her surrogate father’s arms.

“You okay Daisy?” Jemma said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it, which seemed to bring Daisy out of whatever thoughts she was having.

“I was so worried and now- she’s here.” Daisy said, unashamed to talk about how she was feeling with most of her favourite people. Jemma pulled on her hand and dragged her into a hug, Daisy making sure she was gentle to the new mother.

“We’re okay. It was hard, but we’re all perfectly healthy.” Jemma said reassuringly. Daisy nodded slightly.

“Does Aunt Daisy want to hold her niece now?” Fitz said, smiling at her widely at the new name she had gained. This was potentially the best name she had ever had. She smiled but was still nervous, she’d only held Daniel’s nephew a handful of times a few years ago and she’d been sat down and surrounded by people.

“Yes, she does.” Jemma said decisively, “You’ll be fine, come on pass her over.” Coulson wandered around the bed and started the movement to pass the small bundle across to Daisy, Jemma arranging her arms slightly as he did so. “There you go, support her neck and- there you go.”

Tears sprung back to her eyes as she felt the weight of this tiny person in her arms. And that’s what she was, a tiny miniature human who was a perfect mix of her two best friends. All the things they’d been through together had led to this moment where this little baby was nuzzled into her arms. Everything was drowned out around her as she focussed on the little baby, the little light blonde hairs peeking out of the cotton hat that had been placed on her head. The tiny hand that had snuck its way out of the tight swaddle. The tiny lines that were created when she scrunched up her face.

“Hey, little one. I’m your Aunt Daisy. We’re going to go on so many adventures, baby girl.” She whispered, bending to drop a light kiss to the baby’s forehead. Daisy was unaware that Coulson had left the room to get the others, until she felt a hand on her back and Daniel came into her line of sight.

“Hey there, baby.” He said peering down at the small pink bundle in his wife’s arms. “You doing okay Daisy?”

“Yeah, everything’s okay now.” She said beaming down at her niece.

“Guys, what’s her name?” Mack said, looking to the new parents. Jemma and Fitz shared a look, before Jemma turned back to the group.

“Alya. Alya May Fitzsimmons. Alya is the name of my favourite star.” Jemma said, her gaze drifting from her daughter to May herself, who’s mouth had fallen open in what could be described as shock.

“Woah, look the ice queen showing emotion.” Hunter said sarcastically, earning him a slap upside the head from Bobbi, and a slight glare from May herself, the latter of which made him sheepishly focus on the floor of the hospital room.

“You named her after me?” May said turning back to Jemma and Fitz, who beamed and nodded.

“Seems right, after everything you and Coulson have done for us over the years. She needs some strong female role models to look up to. She’s lucky enough to have four.” Jemma said, looking around her group of friends.

“Five, Jemma. Don’t you dare count yourself out.” Bobbi said from the foot of the bed, Jemma smiling proudly as Fitz placed a kiss on her head.

“Do I smell baked goods?” Fitz said after a moment.

“Oh yeah, I bought donuts.” Hunter said passing him the box. “Saved you a couple. Oh, and we bought some presents for the little princess.” Everyone took seats around the room, as presents were given to the new parents and Alya was passed from Daisy to Elena, although reluctantly on Daisy’s part. It was all smiles in the room, the sun had set hours ago and it was definitely early morning by this point, but no one cared. Fitz cleared his throat from where he was perched next to Jemma on the bed.

“We do have one more announcement though.”

“I swear to god if a nurse walks in with a twin, I’m gonna flip out.” Hunter said.

“God no. We just wanted to ask Daisy and Mack something?” Both of their heads whipped up at this, staring at the Scottish man. “We were wondering if you guys would be her godparents?”

Daisy took one look at Mack and could see there were tears in his eyes too, as he strode over and wrapped in Fitz in a strong hug. “I’d be honoured Turbo.” He said, before hugging Jemma more gently. Then all eyes were on her again.

“Me? Are you sure? I mean...” Daisy trailed off, playing with her wedding ring subconsciously.

“Of course, we’re sure. You know how much you mean to us both Daisy.” Fitz said, more serious and sincere than Daisy was used to him being. It caused Daisy to have this overwhelming urge to hug him and she did so, slightly awkwardly over Jemma, who just laughed at the pair of them. Meanwhile, Elena had passed the baby to her husband, who was holding the baby girl in his large hands, making her look even smaller. He pressed a kiss to his goddaughter’s head, as tears rolled down his cheeks, both Elena and Jemma snapping pictures happily.

Alya was continually passed around so everyone could ogle and coo over her. Even Hunter looked like he was getting emotional as he held her.

“I’ll make you a Liverpool girl yet, don’t listen to your Dad about Man U. They’re just trying to buy their way back to glory.” He said to her in a gentle melodious tone, earning a look from Fitz, which made everyone laugh.

Daniel was the last one to hold the baby, and he did so in a carefully practiced manner as she had seen him do on the Fourth of July three years before, and a number of times since. One arm supporting the neck and body, while his free hand played with one of her little hands. A warm feeling passed through Daisy as she watched him so at ease with Alya. He spoke in a soft tone as he whispered down to the baby who was looking up at him with her sparkling blue eyes, perfectly content in his arms. May caught her studying the pair, and raised one eyebrow at her, and her cheeks flushed easily and looked away. She thought back to the conversation she had with Sarah all those years ago, contemplating her own future.

Daniel looked up at her and smiled wide, her heart skipping as he did so. Married for almost a year and he still made her feel like she was still falling more in love with him every day, through nothing more than soft looks or gentle touches. In private their love was passionate and loud, but even in public where they were more conservative, he always made sure to display his love and affection for her in subtle ways that warmed her heart.

It wasn’t long before a nurse came along and kicked everyone out, visiting hours were long since over and new parents needed to sleep whenever they could. Reluctantly, everyone said goodbye to the new family of three, with promises to see them soon and final glances at the tiny Alya May. Slowly wandering out of the hospital, everyone parted ways, the lateness catching up with them all. Daisy offered to drive Daniel’s car as she could tell his leg was aching from extended use, by the slight limp in his step. They rode most of the way in a comfortable silence, Daniel letting his eyes droop shut as Daisy navigated the way back to their apartment.

“Do you ever think of us having a baby?” Daisy blurted suddenly into the quiet, making Daniel snap his eyes open. He looked straight at her as she focussed on the road ahead of her, before letting out a soft chuckle, surprising his wife. They’d had this conversation before, prior to the wedding and had talked about having a couple years before Daisy was ready to take that step in life. “What are you laughing at?”

“Mack said you’d end up bringing this up.” He said, smiling at her but placing a hand on her thigh. “Apparently Elena has been mentioning kids ever since Jemma announced she was pregnant.” Daisy smiled at that.

“I'm glad, Flint would love a sibling. He'd be good at it, I could tell when I met him, when Mack brought him into the shop, he’s a good kid.” Daisy said, pondering the story Mack had told her about the kid being an orphan who had been scraping by all on his own, and had managed to enrol early in a few college classes. Mack had immediately taken him under his wing, as had Elena and then they'd taken the next step and adopted him legally.

“That would be nice. They're great parents.” Daniel said, and Daisy could tell he was skirting her original question.

“You know you’d be a great father, right?” She said, swinging the conversation back on to topic. “You’d be the best, the way you are as an uncle and with Alya. I can tell.”

“I think you’d be an excellent mother Daisy as well, when you’re ready.” Daniel responded, a look in his eyes full of warmth and love.

“Yeah, well that’s debatable.” Daisy muttered, as she indicated and turned left onto the coast road.

“What do you mean by that?” Daniel asked, slightly concerned.

“Well, I didn’t have a normal childhood. I never had parents or family, I don’t know what that means. I wonder if I would be able to do it properly for our kids.” She confessed, pulling into the garage below their apartment building.

“Daisy. First of all, I know two coffee shop owners who would happily call themselves your parents, and even though they came into your life later on, that doesn’t mean you don’t know what that parental love feels like now.” He said, grabbing her hand after she parked the car. “And second of all, I know your heart and soul are more than big enough to carry any kids we’d have through anything. The way you are with all the kids, that kind and caring woman that they all adore? That’s all you. Hell, you’re the reason Amelia stood up for herself against that bully at school. Or only the reason George would wear his bowtie at the wedding. All that is more than enough proof that, when you are ready, you’d be the best mother possible.” Within a second, Daisy was pressing her lips to his, locking them in a passionate kiss, Daniel intoxicated by her every second they were touching.

“Are you trying to seduce me Mrs Johnson-Sousa? I thought you wanted to wait till you were ready.” Daniel muttered as the pulled apart, still only inches from each other.

“Let’s just say I might be open to the idea of us having a couple of cute babies. Maybe I’m ready.” Daisy said, her hands straightening Daniel’s collar, as she quirked one eyebrow up at him. His face lit up in a bright ecstatic smile.

“Really? You sure it’s just not a baby fever thing, because Alya was so stinking cute?” he asked, still unable to wipe the glee off his face.

“I’m not saying or assuming it will happen right away. I’m saying I know you’re my home, and I will love you for the rest of my life, and I can’t wait to share being a parent with you.” Daisy said her words cut off slightly by Daniel pulling her into another kiss, one that made her heart race as his hand became tangled in her hair. If she knew one thing for certain, it was that Daniel was her calm in the storm, her steady ground, the place on which she was ready to build their future. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, suggestions and prompts always welcome! 
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and love so far guys, it always makes my day to interact with you!


	11. Within the Frames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the first things Daniel had noticed when he first stumbled upon the Lighthouse was the collection of framed photos above the fireplace. The fireplace itself was only lit in the darker, colder months, when there was just enough of a chill in the air to justify it. However, the photos above it remained, held in pride of place for everyone to see. A lot of the customers didn’t pay much attention to them, simply passing straight by them, but for Daisy’s family, they represented some of their happiest memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so it's been a little while since I updated this fic, in all honesty I was lacking bit of inspiration and focussing on a couple of fics I have been writing.
> 
> So this is a bit different (and shorter than usual), and I'm not completely sure it's the way I wanted it so I may delete it at some point 🙃 I do have plans for other one shots so hopefully that will flow a bit more now I've done one.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

One of the first things Daniel had noticed when he first stumbled upon the Lighthouse was the collection of framed photos above the fireplace. The fireplace itself was only lit in the darker, colder months, when there was just enough of a chill in the air to justify it. However, the photos above it remained, held in pride of place for everyone to see. A lot of the customers didn’t pay much attention to them, simply passing straight by them, but for Daisy’s family, they represented some of their happiest memories.

The oldest photo was one of May and Coulson on a white sand beach, Tahiti if Daniel recalled correctly. The couple looked younger (or Coulson did, May never seemed to age), happily wrapped in each other’s arms in front of postcard worthy sunset, palm trees in the background and everything. Daniel knew that it wasn’t their wedding photo, as that was hung in the privacy of Coulson’s office above his desk, but their smiles radiated from with the frame. The first photo of the shop was on opening day, with the pair of them stood proudly outside of it, Lola also parked out front.

Some of the other older photos show Daisy and Jemma posing behind the counter of the Lighthouse, wearing their matching aprons and grinning at the camera. Daisy’s hair was darker then and they both had an air of innocence that would be expected of young women in their early 20’s. There were other photos of all three of the original ‘Bus Kids’, as May had taken to calling them. One of them laughing with their arms around each other, the picture so vivid it was almost possible to hear their laughter echoing round the shop. It was one of the many encapsulated moments that adorned the walls. Snaps from lake trips and game nights filled in gaps between bigger pictures, ones of Mack and Daisy playing video games or ones of May glaring at Hunter after he’d made a crude joke, catching a moment in time.

There were a range of group shots from over the years, the whole group posing by the Golden Gate Bridge or huddled together on the beach, for what was no doubt the traditional Thanksgiving beach dinner. One of the pictures right in the centre, slightly larger than the others, was an entire group shot from the Fitzsimmons wedding, everyone stood close together outside the venue, gathered around the newly-weds. There were also photos from Mack and Elena’s wedding, including one of them all trying to lift Mack up which had been hilarious at the time and still was to this day, the look on Mack’s face in the picture captured in a state of shock. An addition to the group in these photos had been Flint, the young boy that Mack and Elena had adopted, and he slotted perfectly into the group. There were pictures of him laughing with Daisy while serving coffee, as she had trained him for his new part time job, and photos of him working with Mack on Lola under the careful supervision of Coulson.

Daisy had once pointed a photo out to him that was her personal favourite, one of her, Coulson and May, sat on the seafront, their backs to the camera and Jemma who had no doubt taken the photo. Coulson was in the middle, with May leaning into one side of him with his arm around her waist and Daisy on the other, almost curled into his side with her knees folded against her chest. The story he’d been told was that this had been the day that Daisy realised Coulson and May were the closest thing she’d had to parents. She’d discovered that day that they were willing to give her the world, as well as their unconditional love.

Not all the photos were as sentimental, or emotional to the same extent. Many were funny moments, such as a picture of Fitz with cream splattered across his face in a prank that had been secretly done by May. Or of Jemma, Daisy and Elena on the floor behind the counter all covered in coffee and flour, collapsed in heaps of laughter in a kitchen accident, that to this day couldn’t be explained. In another frame, there was a picture of Fitz on Mack’s back pointing out towards the sea, the size difference between the two men making Fitz look slightly child-like in his elevated position. There was a photo of the girls all stood together when they’d gone for dress fittings, each of them posing in different coloured bridesmaid dresses.

Daniel had become acutely aware of more photos being added with him in as he looked over the newer photos. Most of them were beside Daisy, but a few weren’t such as the picture of all the groomsmen at Fitz’s wedding, with Coulson included. The photo that Daniel had used in his proposal to Daisy, of them dancing around the Lighthouse that first Christmas, was also hung up there, matching the one of his proposal itself which was in a similar frame nearby.

Cooper also made several appearances above the mantlepiece, there was pictures of him asleep lying on top of Coulson that had been snapped when Daisy found the pair of them napping on the couch in his office. One that always stood out to Daniel was the one of Cooper sat between Daniel and Daisy showing off the engagement ring on his fiancé’s finger. It had been the photo that had been put online to officially announce the engagement itself.

Over the years, the collection only seemed to grow, picture from red carpets were added, or of big family get togethers or new additions to the group. The photos hung on that back wall, in that small coffee shop told the story of this found family, from humble beginnings through the ups and downs of life. It offered a beautiful insight into the lives of the people who orbited around the shop, giving those who cared to look a glimpse into the wonderful life they led, celebrating some of the best moments in their lives within the frames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Prompts always welcome!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, it means the world! 💛


	12. Here For It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Organisation was never Daisy’s forte, and through her life she’d never given much thought to how she wanted her wedding to be. She’d never been one of those little girls who tore pictures of puffy white dresses out of magazines and or one to get overly emotional about wedding scenes in films. So, when she realised that her and Daniel getting married meant that she’d actually have to plan the flowers, the dress and everything else she’d actually baulked slightly at the idea. Her blessing in disguise had been her fiancé.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REUPLOADED - it went all chaotic on me so I've reuploaded in the hope it works properly this time!
> 
> Alright so this is a bit of a cobbled together chapter but YAY WEDDING PLANNING. And Coulson and May are Daisy's parents, you cannot tell me different.
> 
> I feel like I've got a bit of my mojo back with this story.
> 
> Maybe I'll get to the actual wedding at some point 😉
> 
> Hope you enjoy 💛

Organisation was never Daisy’s forte, and through her life she’d never given much thought to how she wanted her wedding to be. She’d never been one of those little girls who tore pictures of puffy white dresses out of magazines and or one to get overly emotional about wedding scenes in films. So, when she realised that her and Daniel getting married meant that she’d actually have to plan the flowers, the dress and everything else she’d actually baulked slightly at the idea. Her blessing in disguise had been her fiancé who upon figuring out what she had been acting so stressed about had chuckled and pulled her close to him, still looking into her eyes.

“Daisy. I’d marry you on a garbage dump if you wanted to. Big wedding, small wedding, hell you want to fly into space and elope with aliens performing the ceremony? I’m all in, whatever you want. I’m here for it all.” He’d pressed a kiss to her forehead and Daisy’s heart beat began to slow down to a normal level again.

That had subdued Daisy’s nerves for a while, plus the offer from Jemma to help her with whatever she needed was very well received (her organisation skills were unparalleled. It had been decided very early on that it would be a smaller family affair, chosen on Daisy’s behalf and biological on Daniel’s. There was an appointment booked in at a bridal shop to choose Daisy’s dress and Daniel was planning on stopping at his family’s tailor on their next trip to the Big Apple, apparently a tradition for Sousa men.

Assigning roles within the wedding itself was relatively easy. Harper and Amelia had practically screamed the house down when Daniel and Daisy had asked them to be their flower girls, and George had beamed with pride at being given the role of ring bearer, alongside his toddler cousin Frankie. Since the wedding was small, both of them decided to only have a best man and maid of honour stand beside them on the day. Jemma was the obvious choice for Daisy’s right hand woman, but she was slightly surprised when Daniel told her he was going to ask Mack to be his Best Man. Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised, the two had bonded quickly and a shared sense of humour meant they were often found laughing together in group settings. They also seemed to have more serious conversations about politics or current events that seemingly cemented their friendship. Mack had been shocked and honoured when Daniel asked him. Jemma and Daisy both cried when the question was asked, just as they had done before Jemma’s wedding when the roles were reversed.

There was one conversation Daisy needed to have, that she wasn’t quite sure how to go about. She knew that she didn’t need to be nervous and she already knew what he was going to say, but every time she built up the momentum to ask Coulson, she avoided it and diverted to another topic of conversation. May gave her a look every time she was around for this to take place, as if she could see straight through her surrogate daughter and to her true intentions, giving her a roll of her eyes. Daniel didn’t even need to ask when she came back from a failed attempt as she’d trudge through the door of their apartment and he’d just know.

One day she’d had enough of stepping around it. She was sat on the porch of their house, calmly typing on her laptop as Coulson read from the porch swing. Giving him a few glances, and then staring down at her laptop when he caught her, she took one deep breath. She had this.

“Have you picked a suit for when you walk me down the aisle?” she asked, trying to say it as nonchalantly as possible. Coulson stopped reading and raised his head to look at the girl sat at the table. Her eyes flickered with a nervousness he’d not seen in a while, similar to the look he’d seen when he first knocked on her van door in the alley all those years ago. He chuckled slightly and she was chewing on the inside of her lip, another of her nervous habits.

“I have actually, May helped me pick it out. You need to approve it first though.” He said, trying to keep an even tone to his voice. Daisy broke into a small smile at that and he put the book down and stood up. “I was waiting for you to ask, I didn’t want to assume.”

“I don’t have anyone else.” Daisy said quietly, her voice catching in her throat, standing up from her chair to meet him halfway. “You know you’re the closest thing I have to a father, I want you to give me away. ”

“And you know you’re the closest thing I have to a daughter. And I am beyond proud to call you that, my daughter. I would be honoured to walk you down that aisle.” Coulson wrapped his arms around Daisy as tears filled both of their eyes and they stood there for a moment.

“I love you.” Daisy said quietly, just loud enough for Coulson to hear.

“I love you too. Always will.” Coulson said, tears starting to trickle out of his eyes. To him, she was one of the most important people in his life, besides his wife, who he knew shared the same sentiment about the young girl they’d found in that van. He’d watched her have her heartbroken and grow from it, blooming into this wonderful, strong, independent woman and his heart leapt when he saw her happy and content in life. She was his girl, and nothing would ever change that. As they pulled apart slightly, he wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled widely at her.

“Does this mean I get to make a speech at the reception too?” Daisy giggled slightly, her tears drying up now.

“As if we could stop you making a speech AC.”

* * *

The dreaded day was here, okay, maybe dreaded was too strong of a word, but Daisy was definitely nervous about it. The wedding itself she was very excited for, and with all the plans coming together she couldn’t wait to walk down that aisle and marry the love of her life. But the idea of picking out her wedding dress caused a tight knot to form in her stomach. She’d been bundled into the car with May and Jemma, the latter of who was sat in the back seat buzzing with excited energy the entire car ride to the shop. In direct comparison, Daisy’s mother figure was her usual calm self, occasionally glancing to the passenger seat where the bride-to-be was nervously inspecting and fiddling with her engagement ring on her hand, deep in thoughts. In typical May style she didn’t say anything as Jemma was chattering away in the back, but reached across and squeezed Daisy’s arm, to reassure her. It seemed to work as Daisy shot her a small smile as they pulled up outside their destination, where they spotted Bobbi and Elena standing outside.

Once situated in the shop, Daisy began to feel a little overwhelmed, there was rows and rows of beautiful white and off-white dresses that extended out of her line of site. She readily took the glass of champagne she was offered and downed it automatically, earning a quizzical look from the shop assistant who was passing them out. Jemma and Elena tried to hold in a laugh, unsuccessfully.

“Do you have any idea of what you’re looking for?” the shop assistant asked as the women got settled on a sofa, in front of a large mirror. In every other situation, Daisy had a very strong sense of style, she knew what she liked and what she would wear to best suit her. Her work clothes had received an upgrade from sweats, to more professional office attire since she started working with the Starks a bit more regularly. And her own personal casual wardrobe was perfectly her. But wedding dresses, she didn’t even know where to start. Well, almost.

“Nothing overly poofy. I don’t fancy carting half a ton of fabric round all night.” Daisy said, more sharply than she had meant it. “Other than that, I’ve got no idea.”

It was quickly decided that they should just pick some candidates, to try them on and narrow down the options. Bobbi, Elena and Jemma all sped off in different directions immediately, leaving May and Daisy behind in their wake, to slowly start picking their way through the racks. Daisy spent her time running the different fabrics through her fingers, the different types of lace and silk were infinite apparently. She’d been through this process with Jemma and Elena before, why was this so difficult for herself? Jemma had of course come fully prepared with a binder full of inspiration and had seemed to find her dress almost immediately. Elena had also found the dress of her dreams almost immediately, within one scan of the shop and after a brief try-on she confirmed her choice and turned her hand to choosing bridesmaids dresses. Daisy selected on dress with lace cap sleeves and headed back to the dressing room, where she found over 10 dresses on the rail with her name on it, her friends all sat waiting on the sofa expectantly.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Daisy said firmly, nodding her head and disappearing behind the curtain to try on the first gown.

What felt like hours had passed and Daisy groaned slightly as she stepped out of the final dress on the rail. The dresses were all lovely, and she had been told she looked stunning in most of them (there was monstrosity that had clearly been added as a joke, as Daisy stomped out of the dressing room to peals of laughter as the massive skirt engulfed most of her body. But it had lightened the mood.), but none felt quite right. The one that came the closest was the one she’d picked for herself with the lace sleeves, but it wasn’t the one. She didn’t get that feeling in her gut that confirmed it was her dress.

At this point Daisy was ready to settle for that one, the heels she was wearing were starting to rub and to her, it was a losing battle. Jemma and Bobbi were back at another row of dresses, discussing them in detail. Meanwhile, May disappeared somewhere as Elena handed Daisy another glass of champagne.

“We’ll find it Chica, don’t worry.” She said, clinking their glasses together. Daisy grimaced, but took a sip of the fizzy beverage, carefully as to not spill any of it on the gown she was currently wearing.

Out of nowhere, May appeared clutching a garment bag and placed it in the fitting room.

“Try it.” She almost ordered, making Daisy hand her glass back to Elena, hitching up the current skirt as she shuffled back behind the curtain. She sighed as she slipped the dress off, returning it onto the hanger and unzipping the garment bag May had selected. An inaudible gasp escaped her lips as she felt the soft material under her fingers. It was simple, but gorgeous and she felt it in her gut, she hadn’t even tried it on and yet she desperately wanted this to be the one.

She slipped into it delicately, smoothing the fabric of the skirt and situating the straps in the correct position upon her shoulders. She took a deep breath and decided to wait to look in the mirror. Hesitantly she stepped out from behind the curtain, feeling the eyes of her friends immediately snap to her.

“Oh my…”

“Damn, Daisy.”

“That’s stunning.”

May was perched on the end of the sofa, smirking as she could tell her daughter was happy with her choice. Daisy smiled shyly and turned to see herself in the mirror. She felt a wave of warmth flood her body as she inspected her own reflection. The dress was simple, an A-Line gown in a slightly off white. The bodice had a simple lace texture to it, and it clung to her figure, the neckline plunging into a V but not overly revealing for a family event, with thin spaghetti straps that sat on her shoulders, crossing down on her open back. The skirt flowed gently to the floor pooling into a small train, but it was light and allowed Daisy the free movement which she desired. She took a long look at herself in the mirror, watching the dress move around her body, the knot that had been sat heavy in her stomach for the whole morning dissipating immediately .

“This is it. This is my dress.” She stated simply, before turning to his friends who were all nodding in agreement.

“You might give Daniel a heart attack.” Bobbi smirked, Elena humming in agreement.

“Hopefully not, I do plan on marrying him in this.” Daisy quipped back, grinning all the same at the thought of him seeing her in this dress.

“I can’t believe you just picked it out like that May.” Jemma said as she dabbed her own eyes slightly with a tissue.

“What can I say? Mother knows best.” May said sitting forward in her seat, locking eyes with Daisy as she made the statement. The woman in question found tears springing to her eyes at the sentiment. Looking back on her early years of life, she never once assumed she would find her mother no matter how hard she tried, and yet here she was. Strong and full of tough but unconditional love, Melinda May was the best mother she could have ever hoped for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading 🥰
> 
> I got a lot of lovely comments on the last chapter and appreciate them more than you know 💛


	13. (Earth)Quake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah, it’s all done, just waiting for a final confirmation and then they’ll…” Daisy stopped abruptly midsentence, something was wrong. A glance to May behind the counter proved it, as the woman was stood stock still, her head tilted slightly to one side as she hushed Jemma who was talking to her. The coffee in her cup reverberated, the cup moving on the top of the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been really stressed these past couple of weeks, and what did my brain come up with? This slightly angst monstrosity, which I'm not actually sure is any good 😅 Note to self: Don't research natural disasters when you're anxious and listening to your AoS playlist.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy?

It was dry that day. Living by the sea, you wouldn’t expect it, but the hot, dry summer heat of California made the air-conditioned interior of the Lighthouse the ideal setting for the early afternoon wedding planning that Daisy and Daniel had to get done today. Having been there for a few hours Daisy was already two iced coffees in and was lost down an internet rabbit hole of flowers and their hidden meanings. The apartment that she shared with her husband-to-be had been the victim of an air-conditioning malfunction, making it unbearable all the time but especially during the hottest hours of the day. So, she’d been sat in her favourite spot since 11am, had finished the final review of her latest coding commission and started yet another wedding Pinterest board, showing Jemma her current favourites periodically. The lunch rush had just finished, and the Lighthouse was finally empty, which meant Fitz had chance to get the ladder out to upgrade the inbuilt Wi-Fi, on the back wall of the shop floor. Coulson was stood below him steadying the ladder, reminding him to be careful every time he shifted his weight, making Daisy giggle as he acted like a protective Dad.

Her phone buzzed on the table, a photograph of Daniel and Cooper snuggled in bed popping up, as she moved to pick it up.

“Hey, are you almost here? We’ve got to get to the printer’s by three to pick paper for the invites and place cards.”

“Yeah, just leaving the garage now, I’ll come in and drop Cooper in the office before we go, don’t want him bothering the workmen who are finally in the apartment. Turns out it’s not just our place that’s down but the whole building.”

“Ugh, at least it’s getting sorted, we might be able to actual sleep tonight.” Daisy groaned.

“They said they should be done in a couple of hours so we can hope. Did you get the job sent off?”

“Yeah, it’s all done, just waiting for a final confirmation and then they’ll…” Daisy stopped abruptly midsentence, something was wrong. A glance to May behind the counter proved it, as the woman was stood stock still, her head tilted slightly to one side as she hushed Jemma who was talking to her. The coffee in her cup reverberated, the cup moving on the top of the table.

“Daisy, are you okay?” Daniel asked down then phone, his voice sounded worried.

“Do you feel that?” she voiced, looking around the shop as she felt the vibrations grow.

It was Coulson that confirmed her suspicions, as the shaking suddenly increased, rattling the ladder that Fitz had thankfully just descended from.

“EARTHQUAKE. GET DOWN.” In a flurry of movement, the coffee bags above the coffee machine tumbled down, May grabbed Jemma and pulled her underneath the counter just as the shelving started to fall from the wall.

“JEMMA!” Fitz cried as he surged towards his wife, only to be stopped by Coulson practically rugby tackling him to the floor, shuffling under a table to protect them both.

“May has her, Fitz, she’s alright. We’ll be alright.” Daisy could hear Coulson talking to Fitz, attempting to reassure him, but for some reason was frozen to the spot. She was vaguely aware of Coulson shouting at her to get down, and Daniel screaming her name down the phone which was still clutched in her hand. The tremors were more now, the books falling off the shelf behind her and the whole word seemed to be out of focus as it echoed through her bones. She dropped to the floor just as a huge crack sounded, the windows behind her shattering into a million tiny pieces. A sharp pain echoed through her skull as she hit the floor, something had hit her in the back of the head as she fell. With all her might she tried to pry her eyes open, only to see the solid wood floor of the lighthouse beneath her as the darkness crept through her field of vision. There was a cacophony of sound running through her ears as her vision faded, the only recognisable one being the somewhat pixelated voice echoing through her phone on the floor beside her as she let the darkness consume her.

* * *

“Daisy? Daisy!” He shouted, trying to get her attention through the phone. Cooper whined and paced across the back seat, clearly sensing his stress. He tried to focus on the road in front of him, the shop was almost in sight, but there were people running across the road as the phone lines above them were swinging wildly. Windows were shattering and a fire hydrant burst open on the side of the street, causing cars to swerve across the road. Daniel lost all sense of calm and control as he heard a thud through the phone. He heard Coulson and Fitz shouting in the background, yelling Daisy’s name to no response. “Daisy! Daisy, are you okay? Please be okay.” His heart was racing, thudding through his chest like a stampede as he suddenly pulled to the side of the road, and flung his car door open, running as fast as he could towards the shop. People were taking cover under park benches and tables as the vibrations continued to reverberate through the ground, lessening ever so slightly as the peak of the quake was over. Daniel couldn’t stop his feet if he tried, they had one destination in mind. His prosthetic ached at the sudden overload on it, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, it wasn’t important. He had to make she was okay. He saw the sign for the shop fall to the pavement, surrounded by shards of broken glass and he slowed on his approach. The shakes had faded now, and the aftershocks would follow soon after, he knew that, but his priority was getting inside. She had to be okay. She had to be. He couldn’t lose her.

In front of the shop now, and the inside was dark and the air thick with dust, making the visibility incredibly low. There was some movement inside, and the silhouette of someone, Coulson he suspected, crawling along the floor towards the front of the shop came into view.

“Sousa, she’s down here. The shelf fell and knocked her down. She’s not answering.” Coulson’s voice thick with concern for his daughter. Daniel tried to open the door, only to find it jammed shut. The only other option was the window. Rounding to the opposite window to where Daisy was, he kicked his prosthetic up to smash the remaining shards of window pane, before hauling himself through it, pain shooting through his system, but the adrenaline was higher. He stumbled upon entering the shop, tripping over a fallen chair, taking note of the books and plants that littered the floor.

“Who else is here?” He shouted into the shop. May rose from behind the counter, pulling a shaken Simmons with her and he saw Fitz fling himself towards his wife, the pair meeting in a tight embrace.

“It’s just the five of us.” May said as she began to move fallen shelving from their path out from behind the counter. Daniel’s heart swelled upon realising that they all seemed okay, but it fell again when her turned to see Coulson on the floor beside the unconscious form of Daisy. The wind was knocked out of him as he lowered himself to the ground as Coulson was checking her over.

“She’s breathing, that’s good.” Coulson muttered to Daniel, as he rolled her into the recovery position. Daniel took her hand in one of his, dragging his thumb over the band of the engagement ring, as he pulled her legs round to assist Coulson.

“Come on Daisy, wake up.” Coulson moved back slightly to fetch something, but Daniel didn’t catch what he said as he was consumed in watching her, the steady rise and fall of her chest, which proved to him that she was still alive, that she had been taken from him. Coulson returned with a blanket and placed it over her prone form.

“An aftershock could come any minute. Jemma has called 911, they’re swamped. Me and May are going to clear the door for them, you stay with her okay.” The older man rested a hand on the author’s shoulder, and he nodded his understanding. Daniel scooted closer to her head, his free hand falling to card through her hair gently. A sharp pain made him realise he was sat on her phone, the screen now smashed beyond much recognition, but his picture was still flickering in the background and he had a sudden thought.

“Cooper is still in the car. I just left it on the street. I need to get him. He needs to…” Daniel stammered, attempting to stand but his legs felt like jelly.

“Daniel, I’ll get him.” Fitz said, lifting his hands to stop the rambling man from moving. “You watch Daisy and Jemma. You two watch Daisy together. I’ll get Coop.” Daniel nodded as he felt Jemma sink to the floor beside him. He watched the young Scotsman carefully climb out of the window and head in the direction Daniel had pointed in. Turning to see Jemma, who was clearly very shaken by the event, checking Daisy’s pulse grounded him slightly, as she gently inspected her best friend, checking the wounds from the spray of glass that had occurred during the tremors. Daniel was in shock as he watched with a detached mindset, feeling like he wasn’t quite in his body. He had no idea how much time was passing, his world consumed by thoughts of his future wife and her only. His hand was still in Daisy’s hair and he looked down at her face, almost peaceful in the chaos that surrounded them. Sirens and shouts echoed through the streets, the whole town alive with people spread through the streets.

“Come on Dais- I need you to wake up for me now. Come on, Daisy you can do it. You’ve got to fight. Come on Daisy, I can’t do this without you. Wake up for me, darling, come on.” He was just talking now, no coherent plan but the words were just tumbling out of his mouth as he begged her to come back to him. “Think about all the stuff we’ve got to do. The wedding, the house, the plan. I want to buy a house and raise our kids in it, we can get more dogs, I know I said it would probably be best to just have one, but maybe we can get Coop a buddy, he’d like that. Maybe that one would like me more huh?”

Jemma cracked a smile as she listened the man talk, if she hadn’t already known how devoted to her best friend he was, this would be a clear sign as he gently spoke about all these plans, he had thought about for them. Coulson and May had cleared the door now, and propped it open, coming to stand just behind Daniel as he was bent over Daisy, whispering in her ear.

“You’ve got to come back to me Daisy. Come on, you got this. I love you so damn much, just come back to me. I need you. Who else is gonna put up with my lame jokes and call me a square? Come on Daisy, we’re all here waiting for you, you just gotta come back.” Daniel pressed a kiss to her forehead, before he drew back fighting the tears that were threatening to fall.

Jemma gasped as Daisy’s fingers moved, flexing back and forth. Daniel saw this and brushed the hair out of his fiancé’s face, just in time to see her long eyelashes flutter open, revealing those deep brown eyes that he’d fallen in love with. She shifted slightly her face grimacing in what he assumed to be pain for a millisecond, before her gaze became firmly fixed on him as he sighed with relief, a wide smile across his face as a single tear fell down his cheek.

“You’re…” her voice was hoarse as she opened her mouth to talk “You’re a sap Sousa.”

Everyone released a chuckle, full of relief and thankfulness. She was okay. Their girl was okay. An ambulance pulled up outside, just after Fitz arrived with a manic looking Cooper pulling on his leash.

“There’s a fire down the street at the Providence Bar. Everyone got out fine, but the road’s blocked with the fire truck.” He explained as he struggled to hold Cooper back. Daisy moved to sit up against the chair she had previously been sat in, beckoning for Fitz to let her dog come to her. He approached carefully with a caution which would make any experts consider the true empathetic abilities of man’s (or woman’s) best friend. Thankfully May had swept glass up from around Daisy at some point which meant Cooper safely sat beside Daisy and sniffed her carefully.

“I’m okay bub.” She murmured reaching to pet him, receiving a large lick of the dog’s rough tongue up her face in response. She giggled slightly as she caught Daniel’s eyes, still full of worry and concern, but a small smile on his face as he watched the interaction. Reaching for his hand, she squeezed it tightly. “We’re okay.”

Daisy would argue she didn’t need to go with the paramedics to the hospital, but her family were adamant, and, as usual, they were probably right. And when she woke up that evening in the hospital bed she had been placed in for observation, she knew she was okay. Blinking her eyes open slowly, she felt a strong grip on her left hand and turned to see her fiancé, leant against the side of her bed, still holding on tight to her. The stressed, worried look he had been wearing all day was gone while he was asleep, and she was glad he was there. That’s what they were promising to each other. To be by each other’s side, through everything. Always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to write a couple of Christmas based chapters for this, so if anyone has any suggestions or prompts, feel free to send them my way!
> 
> Thanks for reading! 💛


	14. For Now and Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This time tomorrow, we’ll be married.” Daisy pointed out as they stood out of the way watching it all come together.
> 
> “That we will. And the next time I see you, you’ll be walking down the aisle, looking as stunning as ever.” He smiled down at her, holding her close in the way he’d become so familiar with over the past three years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AT LONG LAST. Sorry for being so quiet.
> 
> This chapter for some reason felt intimidating to write and actually took me the longest to plan and write, longer than any other chapter. Is there too much dialogue? Probably. Have I done it well? Probably not. Did I get emotional writing vows and speeches about fictional characters in a universe I made up? Yes. Yes I did.
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy this fluff fest, hopefully it makes you smile a little bit.
> 
> Much Love 💛

The wind whipped through her hair as she sat in the car beside her father figure as he gunned his precious car up the costal road. The smile on their faces were wide as they sung along to songs that were blaring through the radio, taking in the blissful scenes of the northern California coast. Their destination was an important one, the buzz of anxiety in Daisy’s stomach wasn’t from nerves per say but the anticipation of the big life event that was going to occur the next day. The plan had been set for a few months now. Daniel had driven up to the hotel to meet his family that morning with Cooper, while Daisy got her nails and last few preparation bits done with the girls, before Coulson drove her up to the venue himself, the rest of her family joining in separate cars.

Coulson insisted the two of them took the scenic route, more to distract Daisy from a cycle of overthinking if anything, and it was working. The venue was a small manor house, set in amongst some beautiful gardens, with plenty of rooms to accommodate both families and a gorgeous courtyard for the celebration. Daisy and Coulson both chuckled at the thought of May alone, driving Fitz and Jemma as well as a packed car full of wedding outfits up to the wedding, no doubt being subjected to a vast array of complex scientific talk that she had no interest in.

It wasn’t too long before they were pulling up in front of the double fronted house, and it seemed they were the last to arrive from the look of the cars gathered to one side of the house.

“This is very nice, Daisy.” Coulson said motioning to their surroundings, the manicured gardens and fountain in the middle of the driveway.

“We loved it when we came up to view it. I still do.” She smiled at him, before her ears heard a clattering of paws hurtling towards them, to see Cooper leap down the stairs and approach her excitedly, tail wagging a mile a minute as he was reunited with his favourite person. “Hey buddy, did you miss me?” She laughed at the overreaction, but she was grateful for him being there all the same, her little shadow. “What did you do with Daniel? You ditch him already?” The dog did nothing more than look up at her, mouth open as she talked to him. “Alright let’s go find everybody.” She saw Coulson grab an overnight bag from the trunk before coming to walk up the entrance stairs beside her. Entering through the open double doors, the hall was flanked by a double stair case, beneath which was large reception room, which opened up onto the courtyard. Loud laughter echoed through the hall and Daisy could only hope everyone was getting along, most of them having met before almost insured this.

Stepping through the doorway, Daisy was immediately met by Harper and Amelia, throwing themselves at her in a tight hug.

“Oh, I’ve missed you two so much. Are you excited for tomorrow?” Both girls looked up at their eyes sparkling with excitement as they began to chatter at such a speed that Coulson walked away with a chuckle, unable to keep up. The girls both carried on as Daniel approached his wife-to-be, smiling wide as he watched her squat down conversing with his nieces avidly, her face breaking into a grin when she saw him walking over. He wrapped his fiancé tightly in his arms, placing a sweet kiss on her forehead.

“Missed you.” He murmured as the girls ran off, no doubt to harass Mack or Hunter.

“I saw you this morning,” she smirked, “but I missed you too.” They met in a sweet kiss, before Sarah and Sophie arrived in the lounge and pulled Daisy into a massive hug, leaving Daniel standing there like a lemon. Daisy laughed loudly at the face he pulled, as she wrapped her arms around her two sisters-in-laws, or soon to be anyway.

The rest of the day went like that, everyone catching up and mingling. Dinner was had on the veranda around several small tables, the children running round the gardens, tiring themselves out as the sunset in the distance. In keeping with tradition, Daisy and Daniel had agreed to spend the night before their wedding separately, so were soaking up every last minute together, basking in the golden light as their families bonded and played cards.

“Everything’s gonna go okay tomorrow, isn’t it?” Daisy asked quietly, her head resting on Daniel shoulder, their hands intertwined in her lap.

“Well, Sophie is threatening to do a rap instead of a speech so… that could be an issue.” He joked, which did get a smile out of his wife-to-be. “Are you worried?”

“I’m not worried to marry you, I can’t wait for that bit. I just want everything to go right, for everyone to have a nice day.” She confessed, and he smiled in relief at the cause of her worries. “Are you? Worried?”

“Nope, not in the slightest. Because I don’t care what happens as long as I get to meet the love of my life at the end of aisle. Although Sophie’s rapping is slightly concerning.” Daisy chuckled and pressed a kiss to his cheek, as Sophie spoke from Daniel’s other side.

“I heard that Dan! It’s gonna be great!” Daniel rolled his eyes at his sister, who was currently holding a sleeping George as she walked back into the house, bidding everyone a goodnight as Sarah followed doing her best to herd the rest of the kiddos. Hunter had challenged Mark and Chris to some kind of beer drinking contest, which had Bobbi rolling her eyes as they whooped and leapt about like they were the children at this party.

A couple of hours later, everyone was wandering to their rooms, saying their goodnights. Daisy and Daniel were the last ones left after Joe and Phil finally wrapped up their long conversation. The two walked hand in hand to the courtyard, Cooper trotting at their heels, where the venue staff were busy setting up chairs for the ceremony tomorrow. The courtyard itself wasn’t huge, but it was an intimate gathering anyway. The one wall which didn’t have windows from the guest rooms looking down on it was tall and covered in ivory, and what Jemma had deemed the most perfect backdrop for their upcoming nuptials. There were lanterns dotted around the outside, and fairy lights being strung up above their heads.

“This time tomorrow, we’ll be married.” Daisy pointed out as they stood out of the way watching it all come together.

“That we will. And the next time I see you, you’ll be walking down the aisle, looking as stunning as ever.” He smiled down at her, holding her close in the way he’d become so familiar with over the past three years.

“Until tomorrow, Mr Sousa?”

“Until tomorrow, Miss Johnson.”

* * *

It took Daisy less time than she expected to fall asleep, and when she awoke, she felt her whole body almost vibrating with excitement. Cooper was curled up beside her and licked her face in some kind of morning greeting, that made her chuckle. The peaceful moment of gazing down at the courtyard from her balcony was interrupted by Jemma and May knocking on the door of her room, letting themselves in.

“Oh, we thought you’d still be dead asleep.” Jemma said when she spotted Daisy stood in her robe, offering her a cup of tea.

“Nope, too excited. Cooper is too, I need to take him out.” Daisy said moving towards the door, only to be stopped by both of them.

“Fitz is going to take him, we’ve got too much to do. You’ve got to shower before we get started on makeup and hair and all that.” May said, picking up the lead and clipping it onto Cooper. “Go.” She pointed to the bathroom and Daisy went obediently, in some kind of daze.

Two hours later and Daisy was perched on the vanity bench as Elena was behind her curling Daisy’s hair. The woman maybe an athlete by trade, but she sure knew her way around a curling wand. They’d decided on a half up, half down hairstyle, allowing some loose caramel coloured curls to fall down her back. Elena pinned up the top layer of curls with expert precision, before May passed Daisy a small box. Daisy was puzzled by the sudden gift and looked to her mother figure in confusion. Everyone quietly left the two of them alone, retreating to get ready themselves to allow the pair some privacy.

“I wore this at my wedding, and my mother at hers. Call it a family tradition. It can be your something borrowed, and something old.” May said, her eyes showing a softness and emotion that Daisy had only seen a couple of times in the decade she’d known the woman. With great care, she opened the box, to reveal a beautiful ornate silver hair fastener. She gasped a little as she studied the delicate details.

“Are these daisies?” She asked in an almost breathless whisper. May nodded and Daisy immediately rose from her seat, wrapping her in a tight embrace which was immediately returned. The two women pulled away, both their eyes glassy. “We can’t cry May, Bobbi will kill me if I ruin this makeup.” They both let out a small chuckle, before the mood sobered again. “Put it in for me?” she asked calmly, handing her mother the siler slide and taking her seat again. May slid the heirloom into the hairstyle carefully, so as not to disturb the work Elena had already done. Her hands fell to Daisy’s shoulders as they both looked at each other in the mirror.

“I love you Daisy, and I’m proud of you.” May had never been one to outwardly express her motions, but rather her praise and love was shown through her actions or pointed expressions.

“I love you too May, I’m so grateful to have you in my life.” They were both dangerously close to letting tears leak down their cheeks again. Thankfully, Jemma came in, camera in tow as she had been happily snapping pictures the whole day, and Daisy had suspicions that she had Sophie doing the same thing in the ‘Sousa Suite’ as Hunter had termed it earlier in the day. Bobbi and Elena were close behind, carrying the dress bag between them. They were all dressed already, all in beautiful sundresses, apart from Jemma who, as maid of honour, was wearing a stunning dusty blue bridesmaid dress that matched the colour scheme of the whole wedding.

“Okay then, let’s get this show on the road.”

* * *

On the other side of the house, Daniel was sat at the desk in his bachelor suite, writing a note to add to the small gift he’d got for Daisy. His jacket and tie were still hanging in the closet, and there were giggles and the occasional thudding of small feet surrounding him, as his family had gathered in the next room to get ready. Cooper was sat by his side as he wrote, and he couldn’t help but smile at the dog looking up at him.

“Alright Coop, I’m done. Take this to Daisy for me?” At one point, Daniel would have wondered why a dog would even understand what any human said to him, but Cooper just seemed to get it. The lab took the bag gently by the handles and trotted out of the suite, down the hall and towards his mistress. “Momma’s boy.” He muttered before he joined his family, to see Sophie trying to wrestle a light grey bowtie onto George. He gratefully took the small glass of whiskey Mack offered him and took a sip. He then watched as Hunter tried to sneak Flint some beer only to be smacked by Mack up the back of the head, laughing to himself. Today was the day.

* * *

Spinning in front of the mirror, Daisy smiled as the fabric of her dress flowed around her. Behind her, her closest girls stood admiring the gown they’d helped her pick out. A small knock at the door, drew all their attention away.

“Is everyone clothed?” Coulson asked hesitantly through a crack in the door.

“Yeah, we are all ready, AC. You can come in.” Coulson walked into the room, and his eyes immediately snapped to Daisy. Jemma could be heard snapping pictures in the background, and May’s face had broken into a wide smile as she watched her husband tear up at the sight of their daughter in her wedding dress.

“Dais- you look incredible.” He stammered out.

“Thank you, not looking too bad yourself there, AC.” She stepped forward and straightened his tie. He didn’t wear suits often, not anymore at least, but this slate grey one looked good on him.

“Oh, someone else was waiting outside for you. Couldn’t knock though.” Cooper trotted in behind him and sat gently at Daisy’s feet, carefully avoiding the white fabric that was pooled at her feet. Affectionately petting the pups head, she carefully extracted the small gift bag from his mouth. Coulson addressed the room.

“We should probably start heading down, before Hunter gets too drunk.” Bobbi rolled her eyes, as Coulson motioned to the other women in the room. “Can you give us a minute?” They all nodded and gave their well wishes to Daisy, May giving Coulson a chaste kiss before squeezing Daisy’s arm on the way out. Daisy moved across the room, placing the small bag on the vanity before to open the note in the bag.

_I know you said you weren’t nervous, but I wanted to show you how long I’ve known that this day would be in our future. I wrote this on the day the coffee machine broke, the day we split our first blueberry muffin._

_Waiting at the end aisle for you_

_(I’ll be the guy in the tux. That isn’t Mack.)_

_-D x_

Daisy let out a chuckle as she brought a small frame out of the bag, inside of which was a small scrap of paper, clearly torn out of the leather-backed notebook that she’d seen him use so many times those first few months. In a familiar scrawl was a short list of words in the margin of the original page.

_Beautiful._

_Intelligent._

_Clumsy._

_Confident._

_Strong._

_Intriguing._

_Daisy._

Daisy held her head back to try and prevent a tear rolling down her cheek, how could this one man just understand her so much. He just got it, took every piece of her broken past and held her together, supporting her in the perfect way every time.

Coulson interrupted her thoughts as he handed her a handkerchief.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m ready now.” She answered folding the handkerchief again and handing it back to him.

“I’m really happy for you Daisy, and I’m so proud of you, watching you grow over these past ten years, it’s been a privilege.” The man himself was getting a bit teary now, and Daisy giggled slightly, more to stop herself crying than anything.

“I’m so grateful that you found me, gave me this home and family. There would be nothing without you. God knows where I would have been right now.” She wrapped her arms around her father. “I love you, Dad.” She whispered as she hugged him tightly, adding the last term of affection in attempt to lighten the mood with a joke, but as it hung in the air, they both shared a look which they knew meant more.

“I love you too, Daisy.” He offered her his arm, and with Cooper taking the lead, they headed down to the hall where the procession was gathering. Sarah and Sophie gasped as they saw Daisy in her dress for the first time, in between wrangling their kids, and Harper told her she looked like a princess. The girls were dressed in cute dresses, that matched the colour of Jemma’s dress and they twirled around in them whenever someone complimented them. The youngest Sousa, Frankie, also looked adorable toddling around in his little white shirt and grey bowtie, but George was a different matter as his mother chased him around the room, trying to avoid a meltdown on both parts. Daisy left Coulson’s side and stopped the charging 6 year old in his path.

“Hey there bud. Whatcha doing?” She asked, carefully squatting down to his level, trying her best not to get lost in the mounds of fabric that threatened to consume her entire figure in this position.

“Momma wants me to wear the bow, I don’t want to wear the bow.” He complained, his face screwing up in a way that reminded Daisy of Daniel a little, so much she had to hold back a chuckle.

“Oh, the bowtie. Let’s have a look.” Daisy reached a hand out to Sophie who had stopped beside the pair. “Well, I like the colour. I can understand it’s a bit weird. How about this, we put this on for the next half hour, so you can match Frankie, and then as soon as the serious part is over, you can take it off and I’ll make sure you the biggest slice of cake later on?” The boy’s eyes lit up at this, but he still looked slightly worried. “Hey, Uncle Daniel is wearing one. So, you’ll match him as well.” At this, Georgie allowed his mother to put the bowtie on and Daisy adjusted it slightly, before bopping him on the nose. “There we go, the most handsome boy at the wedding.” He giggled at this and then it was time to head in. Jemma squeezed Daisy’s hand as she walked past and handed her the bouquet, they’d arranged the night before. A collection of white and light blue flowers wrapped in a lilac ribbon. Her something blue. It was clear to Daisy, that Jemma was already on the edge of tears, happy tears seemed to be the theme of the day. The faint tinkle of the piano music started up and Jemma cleared her throat, righted herself and headed towards the door, to lead the poised flower girls down the aisle. Sarah and Sophie had disappeared back to their chairs in the courtyard, out of sight of Daisy right now, although she had heard them give the children very specific instructions. The photographers had arrived now, and one was snapping pics of them all waiting, when the door behind Daisy and Coulson swung open at speed.

“Oh, thank god. I thought I was late.”

“Trip!” Daisy greeted the man in a tight hug, “I was wondering if you were gonna turn up.”

“Of course, it’s your wedding! Anyway, you look stunning girl, I’m gonna go ahead and take my seat, we’ll party later.” And with that he took off, sidling past everyone and squeezing Jemma’s arm. Daisy was pretty sure she heard Hunter shout a greeting, and then Bobbi hushing him as the procession music started up. She smiled as Jemma headed out through the patio doors first, closely followed by Amelia and Harper who gleefully threw petals from a basket down the aisle. George seemed to grow and mature in front of their eyes, as he took a hold of Frankie’s hand tightly and held onto the pouch with the rings in it, squared his shoulders and walked confidently after the girls, almost dragging little Frankie with him.

Daisy knew she was next. She took a breath and then Coulson’s offered arm, smiling widely at him.

“Oh, first.” She said, stopping Coulson from walking out the door. She pivoted to Cooper who was sat near her side, still avoiding the dress carefully. “Coop, go find Daniel.” And with that the dog trotted off happily down the aisle, to a chorus of laughs from the gathering of people in the courtyard, Cooper no doubt stealing the entire show.

Her turn now. The music changed as she rounded the corner to turn down the aisle. She was aware of the sunlight dancing down on the courtyard, but her eyes were drawn straight to the love of her life who was stood patiently at the other end. Fighting to keep her feet moving at a steady pace rather than sprinting towards him, she took the time to just look at him. His traditional tailor in New York had made him a truly wonderful tux, and he stood tall and proud in it. The smile on his face was wide as he watched her approach, as he wiped a stray tear from his eye. ‘ _Sap’_ she thought, although a tear was definitely escaping her eye at the same time. It was difficult for her not to be in some sort of disbelief of how she got here, but she shook the thought. The journey was important, but right now, in this moment all that mattered was that she was going to marry the man she loved.

At the end of the aisle, she hugged Coulson before taking Daniel’s hand and moving to stand with him in front of the officiant, passing Jemma the bouquet.

“You’re beautiful.” Daniel said, their eyes having not left on another since he had taken her hand.

“And you’re looking incredibly handsome in that tux. You should wear it more often.” She teased slightly, but she was incredibly sincere. She’d been feeling so loved up all morning in anticipation of seeing him that right now, standing together she was using all her strength not to kiss him senseless right there and then. Luckily, the officiant started the ceremony, talking about the strength of love, but neither of them were really listening, both enraptured, eyes only for each other. So much so that Mack had to cough loudly to pull them out of their trance, to realise they were meant to exchange vows.

Daniel cleared his throat and adjusted his grip on Daisy’s hands.

“Almost three years ago, I felt like I was onto something when I wandered into the Lighthouse, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what had drawn me in. It wasn’t the coffee or the food, no matter how good it was.” He smirked and caught Coulson’s eye at that. “It felt like there was almost some force pulling me towards that one specific shop and I couldn’t work out why. Until you stumbled in through the door. From that moment, I felt like everything clicked into place. I won’t say it was love at first sight, because I was convinced at the time that someone like you would never be interested in a guy like me, but that’s what it feels like looking back at it now.” Daisy’s look on him had sharpened slightly, and he could tell she was trying not to interrupt, but he pressed on.

“And there you were, and that same force pulled me into that coffee shop every day, for the next three months. Spending time with you was, and still is, the highlight of my day, the thing I looked forward to upon waking up every morning. I can’t specify a singular moment when I knew we’d end up here, but I knew from the moment we met, or the moment you slid half a muffin across our table to me, that you were going to have a special place in my heart. For the longest time, I never felt quite whole. And not just because I’m missing half a leg.” There was a dry chuckle from the whole party. “But with you, it was right, I felt as if I’d found the last piece of the puzzle, the final page of the book. You’re not just my inspiration for Skye, but you’re the love of my life. The strong, fiercely independent, beautiful woman that I see myself growing old with, having a family, maybe another dog,” Cooper released a well timed bark at that comment, making everyone laugh. “But most of all, I promise to love you and be by your side, till my last day on this earth. Beyond measure, for now and forever”

Daisy couldn’t speak for everyone in the room, but she definitely had a few tears leaking down her face at his words, and wordlessly accepted the handkerchief Mack stepped forward to offer her. She took his hands again as the officiant looked to her for her response.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to follow that Danny Boy, you’re the writer after all. But I’m gonna try my best to just say what I feel. For the longest time, I thought I’d never get any of this. To find a family, or love. I thought maybe I didn’t deserve it or that it just wasn’t meant to be. That my past would dictate my future, that everything I’d lost or gained,” she looked to her family. “Would be my lot in life. And I thought that was everything I needed, that I was more than happy with that. But I was wrong. I didn’t realise I was wrong, until I met you. You were just there, ever since I met you, you were there to support me and listen and just be so perfectly you. You broke through the walls I’d built up over so many years and when they came crashing down, you didn’t run away like I expected you to, but you picked me up out of the rubble and helped me deal with it. There is no one else on this planet, or any other planet, that I’d want to spend the rest of my life with more than you. You make me so beyond happy, I can’t quite believe it sometimes. I’m so grateful that you chose the Lighthouse that morning, that you chose to slot in with my ragtag family and that you chose me. I love you more than words can say, and I can’t wait to grow old by your side, no matter where life takes us. Beyond measure, for now and forever.”

It was fair to say there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as the ceremony carried on. Rings were exchanged and they took each other in sickness and in health, till death do them part. And when they met in a passionate kiss as man and wife, the applause from their families was almost deafening. And they were looking at each other, a newly married couple, their hearts soaring as paper confetti rained down on them.

* * *

As it so often happened, laughter was the main sound at the reception as they ate and shared stories about the new couple. All gathered around long table, made it easy to converse with everyone over the candles and flowers that made up the centrepiece of the table. It wasn’t long before Mack was tapping on the side of his champagne flute to start speeches.

“Alright, ladies and gents. I’m standing here as Daniel’s best man, but I’m also the protective older brother figure of the bride so I’m here to embarrass them both.” Daisy rolled her eyes as she leant into Daniel slightly. “I’ve known Daisy for a long time, and she truly is like a younger sister to me, even down to throwing tantrums when she loses games or steals my wife to have dance parties when she’s drunk on white wine at my house. She puts on this bad girl persona, this tough girl exterior, but when you’ve seen her cry at animated movies with melting snowman, that kind of fades away.”

“Hey, you cried at Frozen too!” Daisy retorted.

“And skirting past that… we’ll move onto Sousa here. When I met Daniel for the first time, I thought he was very… straight ahead.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Daniel asked, puzzled slightly, causing everyone else to laugh.

“But the way he cares for Daisy, and the way he has always looked at her, told me very early on that this relationship was one that would end us all up here someday. Even if they both needed a slight push.” The newlyweds shared a soft loving look at this. “Even when me and these boys gave him the shovel talk, he was solid as a rock. But what cemented this was the boy’s night we had about a year ago. The four of us were at mine while the girls were out, drinking beer, watching some football game and then Hunter brought out the good whiskey and it got slightly messy. I’m pretty sure Hunter ended up asleep under the kitchen table at some point. My memory is still a little hazy, but what I do remember is that drunk Daniel Sousa only talks about one thing. Daisy.” Daniel let out a small groan, as if the whole night was coming back to him at once, making Daisy giggle. “And I’m serious, all night it was Daisy this and Daisy that. ‘Mack, you’ve seen Daisy isn’t she sooooooo pretty.’ ‘Fitz, you know how you love Jemma, that’s how I love Daisy.’” Mack put on some attempt at copying Daniel’s slight New York accent. “Honestly, I don’t know how long this even went on for, but it never stopped until he was sleep. And when Daisy came to collect his sorry hungover self in the morning, one thing was clear. When she was around, he was happy and bright, no matter the raging hangover we all had.”

“I rebut that, I had to pull over twice on the way home.” Daisy interjected, causing Daniel to look at her with mock betrayal.

“Anyway, I think one thing is clear. These two were meant for each other and it has been an honour to watch them come together with their love. Long may it continue, to Daniel and Daisy!” Everyone cheered at this. Jemma was next, with a single index card clutched in her hand as she stood up to talk.

“I think we’ve seen today that these two are perfect for each other. And I’d like to take credit for being the first one to realise that. The first day Daniel walked into the shop, there was something about the way he held himself, and spoke to Daisy that made me see something between them. It also helped that Daisy couldn’t keep her eyes off him the entire time.” Daisy scoffed sarcastically but smiled as her best friend continued. “It has been an absolute pleasure to watch their relationship grow, over countless blueberry muffins and black coffees or green tea. For the past decade, Daisy has been the sister I never had, and therefore I know that whatever life throws at them, these two are going to hold strong. There is no equation or explanation but there is nothing I know more than that. To the happy couple!” Daisy had tears in her eyes again, and she reached across the table to grab her hand, a silent conversation happening between the sisters.

“I suppose it’s my turn.” Coulson stood up from beside Daisy, looking around the table and then back to her. “For those of you who don’t know, which may be none of you, but I’ll go on anyway, I met Daisy a little over ten years ago, when she stole my parking spot behind my coffee shop. She was living in a van and something about her spoke to me, so May and I kind of took her under our wing. This shy, unsure, hardened-by-life young woman walked into our shop, and never really left. And looking at her now, this confident, happy woman, I couldn’t be prouder to call her my daughter. She’s provided humour and maybe a little too much sass to this old man’s life, enough to make the skies seem a little brighter when she’s around. Watching you grow into yourself, has been one of the greatest joys of our lives.” Daisy took his hand and squeezed it, shooting May a knowing look. “And as for Daniel, we couldn’t have wished for Daisy to fall for a better man. You may have been my favourite author, but you’ve become so much more to all of us. The way you care for and love our girl means the world to us, and the way you’ve become a member of the family hopefully shows that. And now you’re officially in, you’re in for life. And we couldn’t imagine a nicer extension to our family, including the rest of the Sousas. To the good life for all of us, but especially these two.” Daniel shook Coulson’s hand after he finished, and Daisy hugged both him and May tightly.

Joseph Sousa was the next to stand up. “Hello everybody. I’ll get emotional if I think about it too much, so I’m just gonna talk, Sophie will stop me if I go on too long.”

“I’ve got you Pa,” his oldest daughter shot across the table, while sipping her wine, earning her a chuckle from everybody.

“Anyway, Daniel’s always been a good son. Worked hard at school, looked out for his terrors of sisters, did the dishes when he was asked. He has always put everyone else first, and when his mother left us, he was the one that took over from me while I grieved. He made sure the girls were fed and off to school, made sure I ate along with being at college and writing a novel and all that good stuff.” The older man’s hand fell on his son’s shoulder and Daniel held it in the familiar way he had been doing since he was a kid. “When Daniel was born, his mother looked to me and said ‘He’s gonna be the best of us.’ And truly, to this day, there is nothing I know more than how true that is. She’d be beyond proud of you and I know she is, wherever she is right now, as am I.” Daniel used his free hand to grip Daisy’s a little tighter, and she could tell without seeing his face that he was feeling a sea of emotions as his father spoke. “And another fact I know, is that she would have adored Daisy.” Daisy looked up suddenly when he said that, making eye contact with the oldest Sousa.

“Just like we all do. Daisy, your own family have said tonight how happy Daniel makes you, and what’s left to be said is the change that’s happened in him, since he met you.” Daniel turned and pressed a kiss to her forehead as his father continued. “He may have been the best son I could have hoped for, but when he left New York and headed for this coast, we were a little worried that he was in over his head. And then he met you. And to add to Mack’s point from earlier, it isn’t just when he’s drunk that he talks about you. It started as a nameless, genderless friend and slowly, we learned more and more about you. And then when I flew across for Thanksgiving on the beach, which is still the weirdest tradition I’ve ever participated in by the way, and I met you. And it was like the old Daniel had returned, his sense of humour, his self-confidence, and that was down to you. You truly bring out the best him and for that I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you for being the person to take care of him, and for letting him take care of you. I couldn’t imagine a better daughter-in-law to have, and I’m beyond happy to welcome you to our family as an official Sousa. So, let’s raise a glass, to the happy couple!” Everyone did, as Daniel rose to hug his father, as did Daisy. In her ear as they held each other he thanked her again and she felt more warm tears fall down her face.

“Alright folks, we’re the last to go.” Sophie said, knocking back the rest of her wine, as her and Sarah stood up. Daniel groaned and buried his head in Daisy’s shoulder, as his new wife giggled at their antics. “So as Daniel’s younger sisters, we thought he was really cool when we were young, with his gelled up hair and funky music. Although we soon learned that he wasn’t nearly as cool as we thought he was. In fact, he was a nerd, a bit of stickler for the rules, especially at school and he played the clarinet for a while, which was not the epitome of cool in 8th grade.”

“Oh, we have pictures.” Sarah said, stooping to pick up a stack of posterboards from under the table, the first one showing a 12-year-old Daniel in full orchestra mode playing the mentioned instrument. “And that wasn’t the only hobby as a kid. Because he soon traded in the woodwind instrument for his dancing shoes, when he joined Sophie in her ballroom dancing lessons.” The next posterboard revealed a young Daniel and Sophie clearly spinning across a polished dancefloor, poised and focussed. Everyone was chuckling as Daniel went bright red, as Daisy looked at him slightly shocked.

“Hey, we won load of competitions.” Daniel interjected.

“That we did Dan, we can show them all your moves later if you want, but for now we continue.” Sophie replied. “Despite these _interesting_ hobbies, Daniel always had girls following him round at school, which would have been nice for him, if he had any idea about them. I remember the stories we’d hear in locker rooms about how the older girls were trying to get his attention but he’d just friendzone them, before that was even a thing. He grew it clearly, but we’re still not one hundred percent sure how he managed to land a girl like Daisy, but here we are!”

The stories went on for a little while longer, telling embarrassing stories about Daniel, to which everyone was laughing except Daniel who seemed to never quite loose the red tinge in his cheeks. Sophie did eventually sober the mood, to get serious for a quick second. “When Daniel saved my life, it made me realise just how much he’d effected and shaped my life. My annoying, impinging older brother helped bring both of us up to the people we are today, whether it was packing us lunches for school or beating up boys who messed us about.”

“Violence is never the answer, but no one hurts my sisters.” Daniel said quietly out of the earshot of the children, raising his whiskey glass to his sisters, before taking a long sip. Daisy’s hand rested on his knee now, as her other hand clasped her champagne flute.

“He’s also the best uncle, these munchkins could wish for, and yes he did cry when every single one of them was born.” Sarah added, motioning to the kids who had all gathered in one corner of the courtyard playing some kind of game.

“Yeah, wondering how four perfect kids were made by you two.” Daniel muttered, earning looks from both Sousa women.

“But in all honesty, as Dad said, when Daniel told us he was moving to California, we were all a bit concerned. But it didn’t take us long to realise that he was fine.” Sarah said, quirking one eyebrow up.

“Mainly because on all phone calls he made home, he was happy, bright and excited. And couldn’t stop gushing about this mysterious woman he’d met in some coffee shop.” Sophie looked to Daisy, who was grinning. “Oh, and that was also interspersed with raving about the baked goods.”

“Which we’ve since had and Coulson? They hold up to the hype.” Sarah said nodding to the man, who took a sarcastic bow. “Now, as his sisters, we were very ready to be overprotective of Daniel just as he had been over us his whole life. He’d been through too much, to be messed about by some woman. And then we met Daisy. Over a Christmas facetime at first, which was lovely. But I truly knew she was the one for Daniel when she contacted me to surprise Daniel in California. She just cared for his wellbeing, which we know can be hard when he’s a dork.”

“She also likes to tease and make fun of him with us, which meant she was cemented in the Sousa Sisterhood very early on.” Sophie winked at her. “And today, when we saw our big brother finally see his beautiful bride walk down the aisle, from the look on his face, we could tell how truly right this was. They belong together, and we could not be more pleased that Daniel finally found the love of his life. Or been serious enough about a girl to finally bring her home to meet us!”

“To the bride and groom! To Daniel and Daisy!” They shouted in unison, and everyone joined in with the cheers as Daisy pressed a kiss to her husband’s lips.

“I think it’s time for some dancing, may the bride and groom please take to the dancefloor for their first dance as husband and wife.” Daisy wasn’t quite sure when it had been decided that Hunter of all people was the announcer at all the weddings, but more often than not, he ended up with the microphone in one hand (and a beer in the other). Everyone was moving now, as Daniel lead Daisy onto the dancefloor, as the gentle intro to their chosen song started up.

“You gonna show me those ballroom skills then Mr Sousa?” Daisy teased her husband as she took his hand in hers and he brought her into a proper ballroom hold.

“Well, my leg might not be able to keep up like it did when I was 12, but considering your dance skills, I think we’ll do okay Mrs Sousa.”

And they twirled and waltzed around the dancefloor, their family watching on, as their bodies moved in a fluid motion together. Daisy rested her head on Daniel’s chest as they moved, the two of the having a quiet conversation that no one else was privy to.

_‘Every night I kiss you, you’ll say in my ear, ‘Oh we’re in love aren’t we’'_

And once again as they danced, the whole world seemed to melt away, and it was just them. Side by side as they planned on being for the rest of time.

_‘She is the lighthouse in the night, that will safely guide me home’_

Daniel thanked his lucky stars every night that he’d moved to California, that he’d found her here and that she chose him, just as his heart had chosen her.

_‘She is the flint that sparks the lighter, and the fuel that will hold the flame.’_

Before her, everything had been bleak, dreary. And it was though. her presence in his life lit the fire that was within him. His inspiration, his motivation in everything be that life or work.

_‘Love the way that you conquer your fear’_

They’d been both been through so much, with so much baggage held by them both, but with each other, they were strong enough to weather any storm, and any wave that crashed on the shore that they called home.

_‘Hearts don’t break around here.’_

The rest of the night faded into a big, happy family party, full of music and singing and stolen kisses between bites of wedding cake. Daisy and Coulson shared a goofy but emotional Father Daughter dance, and toward the end Daniel offered May a hand, surprising everybody when the two danced an amazingly professional looking dance, leaving Daisy shocked to her core. As May left the dance floor, she might have muttered about making her own husband pay for ever mentioning that she took dance in college, although they could tell she had enjoyed herself.

Everyone danced long into the night, Elena dragging her adopted son onto the dance floor, not matter how much he protested, only to find that Flint was actually an excellent dancer once he let loose a bit. Mack had lost his suit jacket and bowtie to the back of chair, just as Daniel had got rid of his bowtie. Daisy and Jemma danced their hearts out, with Elena and Bobbi quickly dragging Sophie and Sarah into it as well, the guys watching as their partners had what looked the time of their lives. The kids were danced with and spun around by absolutely everyone, Amelia taking a shine to Trip as he danced around with her, while George (sans bowtie) somehow worked his way to sitting on Mack’s shoulders, enjoying the adrenaline rush of literally towering over everyone else. Which may or may not have almost given Sophie a heart attack, which was remedied with a glass of wine.

Daniel and Daisy barely left each other’s side the whole night. And at one point they found themselves sneaking off to the balcony looking out over the gardens which were lit up by warm lanterns spaced along the paths running between the flowers, a light breeze washing over them as they closed the door behind them. They stood there for a moment wrapped in each other arms, listening to the distant sounds of their nearest and dearest still partying in celebration of their union. Looking down at the platinum bands that now sat on their ring fingers, as Daniel took his jacket off and placed it around her shoulders, Daisy smiled widely. The inscription she knew was on the inside both rings, ringing true through her ears as she leaned in to kiss her husband.

“I love you, Daniel.”

“I love you, Daisy.”

_Beyond measure. For now, and forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment and Kudos are always appreciated, but I really hope you enjoyed this! 
> 
> Thanks for reading 💛


	15. A Proper Christmas Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was freezing. By California standards anyway. Daisy pulled her coat tighter around her and adjusted her hat to cover the top of her ears, as the cold night air nipped at them. She scanned the area for her husband, who had joyfully disappeared off into the myriad of trees in his attempt to find the perfect one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no update! Sort of. I had a blast writing for Dousy Week a couple of weeks ago, but then a whole bunch of life stuff (good stuff!) happened and my plans for any other writing kind of went out the window.
> 
> I did one additional chapter for this AU as part of Dousy Week which is linked as Part 3 of this series, if you want to check it out! It gives an insight into the future for my favourite pair!
> 
> Can't resist a Christmas chapter, so here's one! There may be more coming 👀 if I don't get too busy with work. They're not chronological but there should be more chapters to fill in gaps over time! It's mostly fluff, with a tiny little bit of sad at the end, not bad sad though.
> 
> Let me know what you think, or if you have any ideas/headcannons you can think of, I really enjoy writing off of prompts!

It was freezing. By California standards anyway. Daisy pulled her coat tighter around her and adjusted her hat to cover the top of her ears, as the cold night air nipped at them. She scanned the area for her husband, who had joyfully disappeared off into the myriad of trees in his attempt to find the perfect one. Her arms stretched around the bundled up baby that was strapped to her chest. Under many layers of clothing and multiple pairs of socks, 7 months old Charlotte Grace Sousa was transfixed by the shining lights that were strung around the Christmas tree farm.

“Sometimes, your Daddy acts like a child.” Daisy murmured to her daughter, pulling the small grey hat further over the soft brown curls of her head. She continued to look around the farm, passing countless tall green trees that all looked perfectly acceptable to her.

“Daisy! I found it!” Daniel’s voice was muffled, but she followed it as best she could, working her way through a bunch of trees until she saw her husband proudly standing beside a tree, arms out as if showing it off, Cooper sat at his feet, wagging his tail when he saw Daisy.

“Daniel, does it not look the exact same as all the other trees.” Daisy said, tilting her head as she teased him. He rolled his eyes slightly but walked towards his girls.

“No because, it’s the perfect height for the living room, and it’s got no massive holes in it, meaning that it’s not going to look gappy through the windows from outside, or from the living room. And it smells like a proper Christmas tree. Better than the plastic one.” Daniel was so enthusiastic about choosing the perfect tree, Daisy couldn’t help but smile at him, his eyes sparkling as he described the tree. “And I want her first Christmas to be perfect.”

“And it will, my love.” Daisy stood on her tiptoes and sweetly planted a kiss on her husband’s lips, careful not to crush their daughter between them. Daniel broke away, smiling wide as his gaze shifted to Charlotte who was happily babbling away to her parents.

“Charlie’s gonna love it.” He dropped a kiss to her forehead, before turning back to grab the ticket off the tree. “Let’s get home then.”

* * *

Daisy tried to muffle the laughter that threatened to spill out of her mouth as Daniel became trapped against the elevator wall by the Christmas tree. In all the excitement of buying a real tree for their beautiful high-ceiling apartment, they’d both not taken into consideration actually getting the tree up to the fourth floor of their building. With assistance from the doorman, and Daisy, who was also juggling a restless Charlie, they’d managed to wedge it into the decidedly too small elevator, but Daniel was stuck in on position for the entire ride. Quickly pulling out her phone to snap a picture, she couldn’t help remembering the day she’d helped him move into this apartment all those years ago, and he’d been in a similar predicament with the couch. Charlie giggled loudly and it snapped her back to the moment, Daniel rolling his eyes as both his wife and daughter laughed at him.

Five minutes later, they’d manoeuvred the tree into the corner of the apartment and the netting had been removed.

“I’m gonna put her down for her nap. I’ll be back in ten.” Daisy said, shifting a sleepy baby in her arms, letting Daniel press a kiss to his daughter’s head.

Daniel stood back and admired the tree as it stood proudly in their living room, the branches dropping before his eyes. Beside the tree were the boxes of Christmas ornaments they had collected over the past few years, as well as a small gift he’d bought for Charlotte, or Daisy in reality. He grabbed the boxes of lights and began laying them out along the floor so they could decide which ones to put on the tree this year. He peeled back the layers of foam between Christmas ornaments, admiring the shiny baubles with their delicate red and golden patterned surfaces. He smiled as he remembered Daisy getting so excited about picking them out in the store a few years ago, having never really had her own Christmas decorations before. There were a few more sentimental ones in a smaller box, one of his mother’s old ornate ornaments that his father had sent him, a personalised one with their wedding picture in it that had been a gift from Mack, Elena and Flint on their first married Christmas. A handmade tree topper from Fitz and Jemma, sort of matching the one Coulson put up in the Lighthouse each year. Other slightly more childishly made handmade ornaments from his nieces and nephews over the years, and one from Alya.

Daisy came into the living room and sweetly kissed him a little while later, and they set off decorating the tree, before moving onto the whole room. Garland was placed along the sideboards, and lights strung up in the windows. The tree glittered as the lights reflected from the surfaces of the ornaments, casting shimmering lights out from the tree itself. Cooper had long since curled up in his bed, unfussed as his humans danced around to classic Christmas track, quietly singing and joking around with each other as they got into the festive spirit.

Stolen kisses as they moved around each other, his arms wrapping around her as she passed him making her giggle, as he pressed kisses down her neck. Daisy had initially worried that having a baby would change their relationship entirely, which it had to an extent, but the undying, strong love she felt for her husband never-wavered. The warm feeling that she felt in her chest whenever she saw him still burned bright, even five years after meeting him. And the look in his eyes told a similar story.

Settling on the couch, tangled together, they sat back and admired their handiwork. The apartment looked the part, a practical winter wonderland, boxes cleared away with just one small one left out. Cooper clambered onto the couch beside them, resting his head in Daisy’s lap as her hand fell to stroke him. There was a quiet moment for once, although that was quickly broken when a high-pitched cry came from the baby monitor. Cooper trotted off to comfort his new favourite person, and Daisy sighed slightly before lifting herself off the couch.

“I’ll grab her. Do you want to put that last box away?” she said, heading towards the nursery.

Daniel smirked as he opened the box and presented it to Daisy as she walked back in with their daughter on her hip.

“Come here baby,” Daniel said reaching for the baby, who looked around the newly transformed living room in awe, her eyes sparkling as she saw the lights dancing in front of her. “Do you like the lights, Charlie?” He mused, bouncing the small girl, his lips pressed to her temple as she attempted to reach out and touch the tree. “Well, maybe if Mama opens the present Daddy got her, you can help her put it on the tree.” He said smiling at his wife, who was just happy watching her favourite people interact, not realising what she was holding in her hand. Opening the small box carefully, she gasped as she brought out the ornament reading the inscription that surrounded the picture of the three of them, taken the day Charlotte was born. The clear sphere held the picture with a silver ring framing it, the inscription etched into the surface in a cursive font.

_Charlotte Grace’s First Christmas_

_The Johnson-Sousa Family 2025_

“Daniel, this is gorgeous.” Ever so thoughtful, she thought as she pressed her lips to his. “You want to help me, baby?” she cooed to their excited daughter whose hand reached out for the decoration. Carefully Daisy placed it on the tree, her daughter assisting as best she could. “Perfect.”

Half an hour later, the three of them were lying on the floor of their living room, their heads laying underneath the branches of the tree, looking up at the bright flickering lights.

“My first memory is doing this with my parents.” Daniel said, smiling at Charlotte who was positioned between them. “Before the girls were born, just the three of us. And the cat.” He chuckled at the thought. “The cat would climb into the tree every year, wreck it. But before that, after we put the tree up, we would lay down and look up at it. Apparently, I was obsessed with the lights. But I just remember Ma’s face smiling at me and Pa laughing at something she said.” Daniel was looking back up now, wistful as he relived the memory.

“I wish I could have met her Daniel. She sounds amazing.” Daisy grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed it. She knew he missed her dearly, especially at the holidays, and ever since Charlotte had been born, he’d talked about her more sadly than before.

“She’d have loved you. I wish she was here to meet you, and Charlotte. Oh god, she’d have loved her.” His voice was thick, his eyes wet as he looked across to his wife.

“I have no doubt that is true. And I’m sure she’s out there somewhere, watching us. So proud of the man you’ve become, and the brilliant father you are.” He squeezed her hand tightly, before moving to kiss her and drop a kiss on Charlotte’s forehead.

“It’s going to be a great Christmas. With my girls.” Daniel said, wiping the tear tracks from his cheeks. And he was determined to give them both the best Christmas he could, just like his mother had always done for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed a little festive fun with these three!
> 
> Comments and Kudos always appreciated!💛


	16. Take it Back to the Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In hindsight, driving away from her deadbeat ex without a plan, wasn’t her finest moment. Miles was the reason she had managed to survive this long, teaching her to hack till she was better than he was and introducing her to his sketchy friends. But she’d had enough, he was a nightmare to deal with, a self-intitled prick who assumed she owed him everything. So, she’d bundled up all of her belongings withing reach and tossed them in her van and just started driving. The coastal road provided a nice backdrop as the sun was setting, a nice way to try and calm the racing thoughts that swirled in her mind. It wasn’t uncommon for Daisy to not know where she was heading, her entire life up until two years ago had been a giant question mark. Foster homes and the orphanage had been all she’d know till she was 16 and ran off from a particularly nasty family. And then no one cared.
> 
> Or: The Prequel - pt 1???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so I've been thinking about this since I started writing this, and a lovely person actually suggested it in the comments a while ago. Here's a little prequel to the main story.
> 
> So unfortunately none of our favourite man out of time in this one 😢 although there is a sneaky hint of him 😉.
> 
> I have a few more bits that I could quite happily add, but I also want to carry on with the story of Daniel and Daisy (with some more Christmas bits hopefully). So I need some feedback. Should I continue to post a prequel short trilogy in this work, so should I create a new book for the series? That is, of course, if you guys even like this. Let me know!

In hindsight, driving away from her deadbeat ex without a plan, wasn’t her finest moment. Miles was the reason she had managed to survive this long, teaching her to hack till she was better than he was and introducing her to his sketchy friends. But she’d had enough, he was a nightmare to deal with, a self-intitled prick who assumed she owed him everything. So, she’d bundled up all of her belongings withing reach and tossed them in her van and just started driving. The coastal road provided a nice backdrop as the sun was setting, a nice way to try and calm the racing thoughts that swirled in her mind. It wasn’t uncommon for Daisy to not know where she was heading, her entire life up until two years ago had been a giant question mark. Foster homes and the orphanage had been all she’d know till she was 16 and ran off from a particularly nasty family. And then no one cared.

She spent the first few months looking over her shoulder constantly to see if someone was after her, ready to drag her back to the hellhole of St Agnes’, but no one ever did. She settled for life on the road, hitchhiking and playing stowaway of trains headed anywhere. Then she saved enough money doing odd jobs to buy the van and life got slightly easier. Then along came Miles, and she thought maybe her luck had changed. Their life wasn’t luxurious in anyway, living out of tiny apartments, hacking into the early hours of every morning and adopting monikers as their reputations grew. Daisy didn’t have the same drive as Miles, who was determined to take down the government and the lives of everyone in his path. In fact, she hated that anyone’s life would be destroyed on account of their work, and this led to screaming matches that made the neighbours call the cops on them. It was in the quiet moments when Miles was passed out in a drunken state that she’d look out the window of whatever dingy place they were sleeping in that month, and wonder if there was more. If she was worthy of a better life.

That morning had been the last straw. Miles was hacking into some secure government server, threatening to leak the personal details of agents on high-classified missions and cases. She was having none of it, they stood screaming at each other across their ground floor apartment, and she’d finally had enough. Scraping together what she could, she packed off into her van, not before smashing his laptop and taking his hard disk, intent on destroying any chance he had of ruining anyone’s life, including her own. And so, she had gone.

Throwing the hard disk off of an ocean cliff at one of the viewing points may not have been the most effective way to destroy Miles’ work, but the satisfying crack and visible departure of all the separate parts as it hit the rocks at the bottom was enough. She tried not to think about the negative environmental effects trash could have on the ocean and swore to herself that she’d do something to counter this when she could.

And she kept driving. And driving, until she felt her eyelids begin to droop and the tiredness crept into her brain as the sky turned to black. She didn’t have a clue where she was, no idea of a town name, but she knew she wasn’t far from San Francisco. Her first thought was to push through and head for the city, but then the van started to make a whining sound that even her loud music couldn’t cover up. So, she pulled off the main highway and slowly eased the van into an alley that she assumed was behind a row of shops. Coming to a halt, she put the van in park and tried to make out the name of the shop that was hanging on the wall, but the darkness made it impossible. Resigning herself to whatever would happen the next morning, she shuffled into the back of the van and pulled the ratty curtains across the back window before curing up on the hodgepodge of couch cushions that lay on the floor, regretting putting the sofa bed that had once sat there, in her old apartment. You’d think sleep wouldn’t come easily to a girl alone, sleeping in the back of a van in a strange town, but she’d gotten used to it over the years. Plus, she had nowhere else to go.

* * *

Phil Coulson had been having a great morning. Waking up beside his gorgeous, way-out-of-his-league wife every morning was a blessing, and the weather was sunny but not startlingly hot as they drove to The Lighthouse with the top down. His wife often rolled her eyes when she saw the joy, he got from driving his pride and joy, but he knew it was in jest and he accepted it as a wide smile. On the last part of their drive, the final few junctions before they reached their coffee shop, May turned the radio down.

“I get a bad feeling off of Grant Ward.” She stated, simply and to the point. Coulson sighed a little, thinking of the new barista they’d hired to cover some of the busier shifts in attempt to actually let the pair of them live their so-called ‘retired’ life.

“I know Melinda. I do too, but he had good references from John Garrett and we both know we needed to find someone, we can’t expect Jemma to do it all herself.” He countered, flipping the indicator on.

“Yeah, because Garrett is a fantastic source of truth.” His wife scoffed. “Something is dodgy about him Phil. I don’t trust him.”

“Well Jemma and Fitz seem to like him.”

“Phil, they’re kids. Smart kids but their judgement is probably not the best to rely on.” May shot back.

“Okay, well we’ll keep an eye on him okay. I trust you gut.” Phil replied calmly, placing a hand on her knew when she hummed in agreement. Taking the familiar turn into the alley behind the shop, he slammed the breaks on when he saw an old van in his regular parking spot. Put out, he pulled up behind it and killed the engine. He saw May ready to bang on the window or potentially actually break in and move the van herself, but he put a hand out and stopped her. Peering through the window slightly, he could just make out the fact there was someone lying on the van floor in the back, sleeping curled up under a blanket. It was clear May saw them too as she raised her fist to knock harshly on the window, but he caught it.

“May…” he said, looking at his wife as she glared at him. “We can be nice about this.” She rolled his eyes at him and headed for the back door of the shop, taking her key out to unlock it. She was muttering about him being overly nice, but he chooses to ignore it and smirked instead. Half an hour later he returned to the alley, clutching a takeout cup of tea and a fresh blueberry muffin in a paper bag. Cautiously he tapped on the driver’s side window and waited as he heard a flurry of movement from the inside and young women appeared from the back, her eyes wide. He waved and raised the hand clutching the food and the girl cautiously rolled down the window, but remained silent.

“Hey, you’re in my spot.” He said, motioning to the car he’d parked behind the van, and she briefly looked at it in the wing mirror.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I’ll move.” She stammered, frantically searching for the keys she’d put somewhere the night before.

“No, no. It’s fine, honestly. Mr Walker doesn’t drive into the store anyway, he’ll be fine with me using his spot.” He tried to reassure the girl, who still looked worried, but she’d stopped searching for the keys now. “Anyway, I own this coffee shop with my wife and thought you might appreciate this.” He said and tried to hand her the cup and bag.

“Oh no sir- I can’t accept- I’m fine honestly I’ll just get out of your way.” She said, finally finding the keys and grasping them tightly in her hand.

“okay, that’s fine, but are you sure you don’t want this? It’s fresh, I made it myself just now?” He said calmly, his voice soft and level. “I’d of sent my wife out with it, but she’s more intimidating than I am.” He smiled and the girl returned a small one too.

* * *

Never take food from strangers. The golden rule all children are taught, even orphans. But here she was, reaching for the paper bag and cup from the kind-looking man who had knocked on the window of the van. She wanted to say no, apologise for the inconvenience she had caused and drive away, but the sweet, heavenly smell of freshly baked goods radiating from the bag he held out to her made her stomach growl. A growl that would not be satisfied by the half bag of stale Doritos that she had stashed in the van door.

“I’m Phil Coulson.” The man said, as she peered into the bag.

“Daisy Johnson.” She replied, tearing a bit of the muffin off and popping it into her mouth hungrily, humming slightly as it melted in her mouth. “These are fantastic, you really make these yourself?”

“Yeah, perfected the recipe a few years ago, they’re a customer favourite.” He nodded and smiled at her reaction. Before her look to turned back to worried.

“I- erm- don’t have any money. I’m really sorry, what can I-” Only to find herself cut off.

“Daisy, it’s fine. Honestly. In fact, if you want to come in, I’m just about to whip up some French toast for me and the girls? Happy to make you some too? If you want?”

In the back of her mind, there was a nun’s voice screaming about stranger danger, but something else about this man was telling her that she could trust him. The way he spoke didn’t have an ounce of venom in it and his eye were kind but not pitying. She nodded and slid her shoes on, scraping her hair into a pony tail before jumping out of the van. She looked down at her outfit and attempted to brush it off, in some attempt to look at all presentable, only to find that Phil was already at the back door to the coffee shop, holding the door open behind him, so she could follow him through the kitchen. Past the stainless steel appliance and wooden office door, they came into the main shop and Daisy looked around at the homey décor of the place. The few pictures mounted above the unlit fire place, the couches surrounding a small coffee table. Red brick walls with shelves of books carefully stacked alongside potted plants. A landscape painting of a costal scene, a wave crashing against a quaint lighthouse. Bay windows letting light streak across the shop, over the counter where two women were serving the couple who were stood hand in hand on the other side of the counter. She could feel Phil’s eye on her as she took it all in, and he spoke softly, as if he was trying to not scare her.

“Welcome to the Lighthouse, Daisy.” He said gesturing to the shop, and then the women approached as the front door shut after their customers. “Daisy, this is my wife, Melinda May and our star barista, Jemma Simmons. Guys, this is Daisy.”

“Hi.” Daisy was tempted to try and put on some bravado, a façade to hide her true self, the same voice that was telling to run away as fast as she could. But the kind smile of the younger woman and the kind, if not steeled gaze from Melinda May made her stop.

“Daisy is joining us for breakfast, Jemma do you want to set the table?” Coulson asked, and Jemma immediately moved to grab cutlery and plates from behind the counter.

“Daisy, can you give me a hand?” she asked, motioning to the plates. Daisy was briefly taken back by the sweet English accent, but moved to take the plates and followed Jemma to one of the larger tables with four seats around it. Placing everything down in places, Jemma made kind small talk, telling her about how long she’d worked for the married couple, who had disappeared in the kitchen.

“Don’t let May fool you. She’s got s tough exterior, but she’s absolutely lovely. They both are.” Jemma said nodding her head towards the door that lead to the kitchen.

“Yeah, they seem it.” Daisy briefly lost herself in thought of how she felt like she had a good ability to tell when people were being genuinely nice, and when they were faking it because they had a hidden agenda. She didn’t get that feeling here. Snapping back to the moment, she turned to Jemma, “So when did you move from England?”

When Coulson and May walked back into the shop fifteen minutes later, the two girls were deep in conversation about all sorts of thing, and Phil’s heart leapt a little when Daisy threw her head back laughing at something Jemma said. When he’d seen only a little while ago climbing to the front of her van, there had been a sort of broken look in her eyes, a deep sense of feeling completely lost. So, it was nice to see her feeling at least a little bit better.

“Here we go ladies.” He said, placing a giant plate in the middle of the table before taking a seat, his wife close on his heels with syrup and other toppings that were set on the table. Everyone dug in, and Daisy had gone a little quieter now, tucking into the small portion of food she’d served herself.

“Do you mind if we ask a bit about you Daisy?” May asked, in an even tone, clearly trying not to scare the girl off.

“Sure, what would you like to know?” Daisy nodded, taking a sip of the juice Jemma had handed her.

“Where are you from?”

“Originally? New Jersey, or at least that’s where I grew up. I’ve moved around a lot since then.”

“Are you in contact with your family?”

“Don’t have any.” Daisy shrugged, which made Jemma gasp a little at her bluntness and May shared a look with her husband. Daisy saw them and decided it was probably better to expand. “I was dropped in an orphanage as a baby, my parents had died and they didn’t have any family, or anyone to take me in. So, I ended up at St Agnes’.” She shuddered a little at the thought but continued. “I ran off when I was 16, foster families never really lasted long, and the nun’s couldn’t care less. Been mostly on my own since then.” She nonchalantly took another bite, as the other three just looked at her. “Sorry?” was all she could think to say around her mouthful of food.

“No Daisy, you don’t need to be sorry, we’re just a little surprised. You seem to have been through a lot.” Coulson said calmly.

“Yeah, you don’t need to apologise for that. Ever.” May added emphatically, “So what brings you to the outskirts of San Francisco?” Daisy looked a little embarrassed as if she’d suddenly realised the situation, she was in, eating breakfast with a few strangers.

“Erm, my ex- he was doing some sketchy sh- stuff. I couldn’t stay there, so I just drove. Got a little tired and pulled into an alley to sleep.” She paused, nervous. “Sorry about that.”

“Nah, its fine, he needs to be taken down a peg or two with that car anyway.” May said, trying to reassure the girl with a joke, which worked as she smirked into her French toast.

“He’s not one of those guys, is he? Obsessed with an inanimate object?” Daisy said, a teasing tone. “Does it have a name?” Coulson rolled his eyes at his wife before looking at his French toast.

“Lola. She’s called Lola.” He muttered, the corners of his mouth sneaking up as all of his breakfast companions sniggered slightly. “I tell you, the respect I get around here is incomparable.” Breakfast continued with a side of small talk and jokes, and Daisy felt a little lighter.

Daisy helped clear away the plates, drying the dishes as Phil washed them, the other two returning to the bustle of customers who had turned up for their morning coffee.

“So, what’s the plan?” Coulson asked innocently, his hands submersed in the now murky water grabbing a plate.

“Don’t really have one. Suppose I should start driving again. See how far the van makes it.” Daisy said, stacking the glasses so she could place them to one side.

“Any destinations in mind?”

“Nah, I just go where the wind takes me. Where I can get a job preferably.”

Coulson’s hand stilled for millisecond as he considered what she said, before returning to washing the remaining dishes. Once dried and put away, Daisy stood round awkwardly as Coulson headed for his office.

“I’ve got to get some work done, but you’re welcome to stick around. I’ve got some odd jobs to do in a bit and I could use an extra pair of hands, the girls are gonna be busy today.”

“Sure, I need to pay off that breakfast anyway.”

“Help me out and I’ll give you lunch as well.” She smiled at that. “Go sit in the shop, there’s books and magazines everywhere. I’ll come get you in an hour or so?”

So, she did just that. Scanning the room, she settled on the plush chair near the door, in the bay window furthest from the counter. She didn’t know why, but it felt right as the morning sun shone down on it. A brief scan of the book shelf wasn’t fruitful (why did Coulson have so many spy thrillers? Who or what was a Red Room Assassin?), so she settled down with her phone, briefly flipping through a few social media channels before deciding to change her profiles to be considerably less Miles based. A few messages came through from his accounts, only to be immediately blocked, she was done with that. Sighing to herself, she looked out the window and just watched the world go past. Grannies in groups making their way through the surrounding shops, business men storming past on their way to meetings, children riding their bikes down the pedestrianised street.

* * *

After lunch and helping Coulson change lightbulbs and organise dumpsters in the alley, the shop was shutting up for the night. She helped Jemma stack chairs and wipe down tables, willing to do anything to payback the generosity these people had treated her to today. Jemma left to head to a lab with someone she called Fitz, giving Daisy a brief hug and friendly goodbye as she left the Lighthouse.

It wasn’t long till there was nothing left to do, and Daisy threw the paper towel she was using in the bin, only to find Coulson and May standing watching her.

“I can’t thank you enough for today, it was so nice to just be. Not had that in a while. Normality.” She had a sad little smile on her face as she said it, sensing it was coming to an end sooner than she wished it had.

“That’s the thing Daisy. We wanted to talk to you about something.” Coulson said, leaning on the door frame. “We were wondering if you wanted a job. Here with us. May can train you like she did with Jemma. It’s not a lot of money, but it would help you get yourself back on your feet.”

“Guys, you don’t have to do that, I’ll be ok. I wouldn’t want to put you out like that.” Daisy said sheepishly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her focus solely on the floor.

“Daisy, it’s not an inconvenience to us. We genuinely need someone. At least think about it. You’re welcome to use the parking space out the back for as long as you want.” May said, cautiously putting a hand on Daisy’s arm.

“I appreciate it. Thank you, guys. Really. Can I get back to you on that?” Daisy smiled weakly at the couple in front of her.

“Of course. Now I packed you some dinner up.” Coulson handed her a larger bag, and the three of them crossed back out of the kitchen and into the darkening alley.

“You gonna be alright in the van?”

“Yeah, it’s comfier than it looks honest.”

“Alright, well, don’t forget my offer. There’s a place here if you want it. Front row seat to the craziest coffee shop this side of the bay.” He smiled at her as he approached Lola, before opening the door and stopping.

“I’ll think about it. Thanks for today, Coulson.”

“No problem. Goodnight Daisy.”

“Goodnight Coulson. Night May!” She said to the older woman as she joined her husband in the car, receiving a nod and a wave in response. And she would think about it, in fact that night she barely went to sleep because she was thinking about it.

* * *

Phil was almost disappointed when the van was gone from his space behind the lighthouse the next morning, clearly Daisy hadn’t taken him up on the offer of a job. That was until he heard a shuddering engine pull up behind him and Daisy hopped out of the van with a smile on her face.

“Still offering me that job?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Comment, Kudos and suggestions always welcome 💛
> 
> Tumblr - momentofch-aos


	17. A Couple Of Christmas Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To say they were unprepared for the news, would be an understatement. But planning on how tell their families is Daisy's favourite hobby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two uploads in a week? Must be the working from home energy.
> 
> I'm not in love with this chapter, but here's some Christmas fluff, which I've decided will be interspersed between chapters that flashback to Daisy first arriving at the Lighthouse!
> 
> Thanks for all the love on the last chapter, I really appreciate your lovely comments!
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

To say they were unprepared for the news, would be an understatement. They’d done this before, pee on a stick, positive sign, celebrate, go to the OB/GYN, get a black and white grainy photo of a small barely-visible bean. Happy days. That’s how it had been with Charlotte, so as they strolled into the office that grey December morning, they felt ready. Sat on the bed, Daisy reached out for Daniel’s hand and squeezed it slightly, she was ready but not, not nervous. Shooting her that smile, that damn smile, that made her heart soar a little every time she saw it, he pressed a kiss to her temple as her doctor swiped the wand across her barely-there bump. They hadn’t told anyone yet, not even Charlotte, but Daisy was convinced May knew. She always knew everything that went on with her surrogate daughter.

The couple watched the screen as the doctor settled on a spot, but she stayed quiet and stared intently at the monitor for a second, which unsettled the ever-anxious-father that Daniel was.

“Is everything okay?” He asked the doctor, who nodded and pressed a few buttons on the computer before looking back to the couple.

“Everything looks fine, all healthy and progressing on track.” Daniel let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and Daisy squeezed his hand three times, a kind of secret code they’d developed over the years, with Charlotte as well. “There is something of note however, have either of you got any sets of multiples in your families? Twins or triplets?” Both their heads whipped up at that, Daniel’s eyes wide as he registered what the doctor said.

“Twins?” Daniel stammered, shocked to his core.

“Triplets?!” Daisy almost shouted, her voice several octaves higher than her usual tone.

“I can see two babies on your scan,” the doctor explained, pointing to the larger monitor on the wall that showed the paused scan of Daisy’s uterus. Circling the two separate blobs, the two of them just stared blankly at the screen. Attempting to break the two out of the trance they seemed to be in, she asked the question again. “Do you know of any family history of multiples?”

Looking at each other, still in shock, Daisy spoke first. “I have no idea on my side. I’m an orphan.” The doctor looked shocked for a minute, and Daisy realised why. “Oh, May isn’t my mother, biologically. I know I brought her last time.” The doctor nodded before turning to Daniel, who was still looking from the screen and back to his wife’s stomach, until Daisy put her hand on his arm to get his attention.

“Erm, sorry. Erm, yeah there’s some distant uncles that were twins on my mother’s side. None in any recent generations though.” He said, still clearly distracted. Daisy interlocked their fingers again, before the doctor began explaining that there would be additional appointments to keep a closer eye on the pregnancy as twins were higher risk than a single baby. Daisy did her best to listen, but out of the corner of her eye she watched her husband, who was lost in his own thoughts, staring directly at her still uncovered stomach. A smile was growing on his face as the doctor carried on talking. He didn’t even register that the appointment was over, until Daisy was sitting up, booklet and photo in hand, and he jumped up from his seat, almost toppled over and righted himself, before offering her a hand up. Even as they got back to the street, he still had a big goofy smile on his face but hadn’t said a word.

“What’s rattling around that big brain of yours, Daniel Sousa? You look like a kid on Christmas. We’ve just been told we’re getting two more kids instead of the one we ordered.” She teased, not entirely sure that the nerves she was feeling were covered with her tone.

“I’m just excited. I know it’s unexpected, but I’m just so happy.” He said, swinging their interlocked hands as they wandered back towards the car. “Are you happy?” he asked, looking to his wife, with a new sense of worry dawning on him.

“Yeah, I’m happy, but I’m just worried. The doctor said twins were higher risk and how’s Charlotte going to feel with two siblings? What if she doesn’t like being a big sister? How are we going to fit them in the apartment? Oh god, we’re going to need to move. What about Cooper? How will he cope with all three of them? How-” She was on a rampage now, multiple questions flying out of her mouth. Daniel stopped and pulled her to him, so they were standing face to face, and she looked up at him, eyes slightly watery as she felt so overwhelmed.

“Daisy. It’s us, we’ll sort it all out. We’ve got till what, July? We’ll sort it all out, just like we always do. Together.” He pressed a kiss to her lips, and felt her arms slip around his neck, pulling her body against his. As they pulled apart, their foreheads resting against each other, she looked up into those dark brown eyes she’d fallen in love with.

“Together.” She kissed him again before pulling away and dragging him towards the car. “You know, we’ve still got think of a way to tell everyone.” She said, as he opened her car door despite her rolling her eyes. That stalled him for a minute.

“We’ll think of something.”

* * *

It had been decided early on in their relationship that Christmases were alternated between New York with the Sousa’s and California with the Lighthouse side of the family, or the Coulson’s as Hunter had started joking. This year was supposed to be a quiet one at Coulson and May’s house, with the Fitzsimmons in England with Alya and James and Bobbi and Hunter on assignment. Mack and Yo-yo were away on a winter skiing getaway with Flint and Faith, while Trip was apparently deep in an overseas mission, as they’d received no contact from him in a while. So, it was just going to be the Johnson-Sousa’s, Coulson and May, on Christmas day and then the little family of three were headed to New York for New Year’s to tell the New York Sousa’s. This was perfect in Daisy’s opinion as it meant that she could tell her parents about the twins in a fun festive way, and she’d work out how to tell everyone else in the New Year, as long as Charlotte managed to keep it a secret for that long. They decided to tell her only a few days before they told May and Coulson, in order to keep it as under wraps as possible but give her time to get used to the idea.

Explaining it to a three-year-old that there were two babies in Momma’s belly was harder than they had imagined, as even at three she was asking umpteen questions that neither of her parents really knew how to answer. But, ever her father’s daughter, at the end of question time Charlotte Grace looked up at her mother, with those big brown eyes that were an identical match to Daniel’s and pressed a small hand to the slight curve of her bump and smiling at it sweetly, as Daisy was pretty sure her heart melted. She looked over to husband to see he was faring no better and there were tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Oh, we’re gonna be wrecks when there’s three of them.” She said, wiping her own tears away as Charlotte disappeared in search of a book. “I’m hormonal, what’s your excuse?” she said teasingly, as her husband came to sit beside her on the loveseat, pulling her close to him.

“I’m just in awe that this is my life. With my gorgeous wife, my adorable, intelligent daughter and two more little ones on the way. How did I get this lucky?” He kissed her sweetly, and she pulled him even closer, deepening the kiss as his arm stretched around her waist. It was then that they heard that gentle patter of socked feet on the hardwood floor of the apartment, as their daughter ran into the room holding a book above her head. The couple laughed as they pulled apart and untangled themselves from each other enough to lift Charlie up to sit with them.

“Pa, read to babies?” her sweet voice asked, and Daisy thought in that moment that she couldn’t love this sweet child more. “Please?” she added, her eyes sparkling at Daniel with that look that he couldn’t say no to, but why would he ever.

“Okay, baby. What are we reading?” Daniel said settling Charlie in his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before opening the chosen story and launching into the Christmas themed tale. In the light of the shimmering Christmas tree and the sun slowly setting through the big windows of their living room, the family sat cuddled together for their last Christmas as just the three of them. And how idyllic it was.

* * *

Christmas at the Coulson-May household was always fun, after the traditional Lighthouse Christmas had been moved there when Alya was born, as it just made more sense with a growing number of kids around seemingly every year. Dinner was lovingly made by Coulson, who allowed Daniel to help, but banned both May and Daisy from the kitchen. Daisy watched as May played with her daughter, her heart light as Charlotte squealed with laughter as her ‘Grandma’ twirled her round the room. She loved watching May with her granddaughter, as she’d been nothing else since the little girl had been born and the adoration between the two of them was undeniable.

After dinner, they retired to the living room and Charlotte was spoilt with so many presents that Daisy had to roll her eyes at how much her pseudo parents doted on her daughter. Once the colourful wrapping paper was tidied away, Daisy reached behind the carefully decorated tree and retrieved a box, before placing it in front of her parents.

“This is for both of you.” She said, before returning to her seat beside Daniel, tucking her feet underneath her. Coulson scooped Charlotte as May pushed the box towards him for him to open it.

“Do you want to help me open it Charlie?” he said, help the girl rip the paper off the box, before opening it. Under a layer of tissue paper was a bundle of white cloth and picture frame, turned on its face. As he unfolded the cloth, May’s eyes shot to meet Daisy’s a knowing look on her face, as her husband took a second to twig what the baby onesie meant. Daisy smirked and cuddled closer into her husband, her eyes trained on her father figure as he examined the gift.

“What?!”Coulson shouted, dropping his hands that were holding the onesies out, to look at his daughter and her husband who were smiling wide.

“Read it first Grandpa.” Daisy said, motioning to the small garment, which May leant over to read as well.

“’One of Two.’” Coulson read, and May reached out to grab the onesie.

“Wait, there’s two! ‘Two of two’. Oh my…” May was shocked by this, a rare sight to behold by all means. Daisy giggled and nodded as Coulson laid them on the back of the couch before standing up, Charlotte still in his arms.

“Twins? You’re having twins?” Daisy stood up as he approached and he wrapped his arms tightly around his daughter, tears welling in his eyes. “Oh my god.”

May watched and stood too, reaching into the box to retrieve the photo frame. Inside the frame was the ultrasound, Twin A and Twin B labelled in small white lettering. The frame itself stated ‘ _Arriving in July’_. Daisy was approaching May now, leaving Coulson to congratulate Daniel.

“I knew, but I didn’t know this.” May said quietly, hugging Daisy tightly.

“I know, thought it might surprise you. It surprised us.” The women both laughed, and then turned to watch Coulson talking to Charlotte in his ‘grandpa voice’.

“What do you think Charlie girl? You excited to be a big sister?” He asked tickling her sides slightly as she squirmed in his arms.

“Two babies in Momma’s belly.” The girl shouted, throwing her arms up in the air, making all the adults laugh at her sweeping declaration.

“To be honest, I’m surprised she didn’t say it earlier, it’s all she’d been talking about for three days.” Daniel confessed, wrapping an arm around Daisy as she came to stand by his side. Watching the scene, he couldn’t even to fathom how happy he was, or when life got this good, but with his girls by his side, he didn’t doubt for one second that this was where he was meant to be.

* * *

When they had told the New York Sousa’s that Daisy was pregnant with Charlotte, they’d just come out and said it when they were all gathered at Frank’s house, both of them a bundle of excitement and energy at their news. And that excitement returned as they were sat in the back of a cab on their way to the house. Despite being to the city multiple times since she was born, Charlotte’s eyes were wide as she sat on Daniel’s knee as the flew through the city that had once been his home. Daisy watched as he pointed out different buildings and sights to their daughter, and she listened to him intently as he told her stories, following his pointer finger to see what he was talking about. Snapping a quick picture on her phone, both of their faces obscured but the pair were almost silhouetted against the light streaming through the window.

Soon enough they pulled up outside the familiar house and stepped onto the street, Charlotte held tightly in Daniel’s arms, as he grabbed Daisy’s hand, squeezing it three times. It was all smiles as the door swung open and Charlotte launched herself at her Auntie Sarah with a squeal. Sophie got the same treatment and upon her hearing her paternal grandfather’s voice she dragged her mother by the hand towards the noise.

“Granddad!”

“Well, if isn’t my favourite Californian Sousas.” Frank said as the girl climbed up into the chair he was sat in, embracing her grandfather with her full strength. “How was the plane little one?”

“Good, we went up in the air.” Charlotte said, sitting proudly on the arm of his chair, as her father entered the room.

“She did really well, always does.” Daniel said as he hugged his father hello.

“She gets that from Daniel, I was a terror as a child.” Daisy smirked.

“Yeah, well if you have another one, they might be a terror. That’s what happen with Daniel and Sophie.” Frank said, not missing the look that the couple shared.

“Hey! I heard that.” Sophie shouted from the other room, a laugh rippling through the adults as Chris and Mark joined them in the sitting room, explaining that the kids were all at school.

“Hey Soph, come in here a minute.” Daniel shouted to his sister, relishing in the fact it felt like when they were kids, just for a moment. Daisy took this as a cue and reached into the rucksack she’d been carrying, extracting three gift bags, checking them briefly before handing one to each sister and the last to Frank. Sophie twigged almost immediately.

“No!! No way! You’re… no! Oh, Dan don’t look so shocked, you’re smiling like a cat who got the cream.” Sophie said poking her brother in the arms as he held up his arms in mock defence. Sarah was next to twig as she pulled the mug out of the box, without reading the inscription and gasped, before throwing her arms around a smiling Daisy. Still squinting at the mug, Frank dug around for his glasses equally confused about what was going on, until Charlotte decided to speak up in the lull of the adults all turning to see Frank’s reaction.

“Momma has babies in her belly.” She stated proudly, before going back to playing with the toy she’d picked up from somewhere, unaware that everyone was looking at her in shock.

“Did she just say babie _s_ as in with an s.” Sophie said, looking from Daniel to Daisy with wide eyes. Sarah let a little cry out as she finally read the inscription on her mug.

_‘Aunt to_

_Double Trouble._

_Both landing in California,_

_July 2029.’_

“We thought we could copy how you told us about Frankie,” Daniel smirked, as both his sisters launched themselves at him and Daisy stood to receive congratulatory hugs from her brothers-in-law. Everyone swapped round and Daisy found herself being tightly squeezed by the girls, who began badgering her with questions, their hands gently touching the barely visible bump. Daniel turned to his father who was running his fingers over the inscription on his matching mug, his eyes a little watery. Silently, Daniel scooped Charlotte up off his lap and sent her towards her uncles, before perching on the coffee table in front of his father. “What do you say Pa? You ready for two more grandkids?” His father looked up at him and smiled. Everyone was happy to hear their news, but his father was something else to Daniel. His role model in life and everything, the caring, loving father he hoped he would emulate for his own children.

“I’m so proud of you Daniel, so happy for you. And me, because I get two more beautiful grandchildren.” The men stood, both of them taking their time to get up, before embracing tightly. The sound of giggles erupted as Charlotte was sat on Chris’s shoulders chasing Mark around the dining room table, as their wives rolled their eyes. It was always chaos here, especially when all the kids were together, but Daniel personally couldn’t wait to add to it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Comment, kudos and ideas always welcomed and appreciated! 💛
> 
> Tumblr - momentofch-aos


	18. If We Could Freeze Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> California had made them soft. Daniel had almost missed the biting chill of the New York streets, the cold streets laden with white snow, which was eventually darkened by the bustling traffic, reflecting the warm light of the bodegas they passed. Daisy, on the other hand, had not missed it, and as they strolled down the dark streets, she could no longer feel her toes in her boots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last of the soft Christmas series! Some serious fluff in here.
> 
> I'm not 100% confident with this chapter as I struggled to write it for some reason, and that's why its a day late.
> 
> Anyway, I did some research for the prosthetic side of this but if anything is wrong please let me know.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> And I hope you had a good Christmas, or happy holidays if you're celebrating, or hope you had a nice week if you're not! 💛

California had made them soft. Daniel had almost missed the biting chill of the New York streets, the cold streets laden with white snow, which was eventually darkened by the bustling traffic, reflecting the warm light of the bodegas they passed. Daisy, on the other hand, had not missed it, and as they strolled down the dark streets, she could no longer feel her toes in her boots. She shivered and tried to bury herself further into the big coat she was glad she’d packed, even though carrying it through the airport had been a chore. Despite the freezing conditions Daisy couldn’t help smiling at Daniel as he basked in the colourful lights strung between the buildings of his childhood home. Occasionally he’d wave and talk to some of the neighbours that recognised him on his block, his eyes sparkling, his hand gripping hers tightly as they approached the house. The window looked like the idyllic Christmas house you’d see in a Hallmark movie, the green tree lit in the front window, decorated in shining red and gold ornaments. A large wreath hung on the front door, and the couple shared smiles as they knocked on the door.

Greetings were just as warm as always, big hugs for everyone and Daisy probably shouldn’t have been surprised that even though it was her first Christmas with the New York Sousas, she was welcomed as a part of the family. Daniel watched as his family dragged his girlfriend into the house, the smell of his mother’s traditional holiday cookies wafting down the hall. Even the heavily-pregnant Sarah seemed to be buzzing with energy as they arrived. He joined his brothers-in-law, in packing all the bags for the kids into the mini-van. Putting his and Daisy’s bags into his father’s car, he turned to see the kids flooding into the mini-van, their fathers making sure they were situated in their seats before climbing into the front seats themselves. The familiar, cheerful sound of Daisy’s warm laugh rang out and he saw her leaning into Sophie’s side as the three girls giggled at some shared joke. The three of them were still chuckling when they descended the stairs, closely followed by Frank who was locking up the house.

“You sure you don’t want to travel with us in the fun bus, Daisy? I mean we have screaming kids, but you’d not have to hang out with Daniel for even longer.” Sophie teased, gently shoving her brother gently.

“Ah, I think I’ll risk it with the dork.” Daisy said smirking, bumping shoulders with her boyfriend, who broke into that smile that made her heart skip. The horn of the van beeping scared them all slightly and Mark’s low voice shouted out to tell them to get a move on. Sophie rolled her eyes at her husband, but waved goodbye to the pair of them before Sarah pushed her into the van. Daniel wrapped his arms around Daisy, catching her off guard as he pulled into a sweet kiss, overcome with how warm his heart felt seeing her interact with his family. They broke apart when whoops and cheers came from inside the minivan and Daisy blushed profusely as Daniel chuckled, not moving away from her as she rested her forehead against his chest.

“Alright you two lovebirds, let’s get on the road, there’s more snow forecast tonight, and I don’t think any of us fancy driving in it.”

* * *

Casting his gaze back to the suspiciously quiet back seat of his dad’s car, to see Daisy snoozing against the window, her breath visible against the window and her legs tucked up against her chest. No doubt the jet lag had caught up with her, but then again, she hadn’t slept well the night before. It had been evident by the fact she’d been up before him that morning, an unusual occurrence in their regular lives.

“You’ve got it so bad for her, Daniel.” His father said quietly, glancing at his son before returning his eyes to the road.

“Yeah, I suppose I have.”

The road to the cabin was almost instinctual of the Sousa’s now. Their old family friends let them have the woodland cabin every Christmas since Daniel had been 8 years old. The familiar bends to the road welcomed him to a home away from home, leaving the city lights behind for the quiet roads surrounded by greenery and real white snow, still untouched by anyone. As his Dad pulled onto the drive, closely followed by Mark and the mini-van, Daniel shifted to try and wake his leg up, the cold weather causing it to ache more than usual, but the site of the cabin lights made it worth it. His father got out of the car to help herd the kids into the house before they darted off into the oncoming darkness of night. Reaching back, Daniel gently shook Daisy, stirring her from sleep as she ran a hand down her face.

“Hey sweetheart. We’re here.” He said softly, pointing to the now open door of the cabin. Sleepily blinking her eyes a few times, Daisy shifted to look out the window.

“Woah, it’s really pretty. You come here every year?” she asked, opening the door and swinging her legs out of the car. Daniel joined her as they both grabbed the bags.

“Yeah, we try to. Although it’s been snowed off a couple of times. The roads can get pretty bad.” Daisy stopped to admire the cabin before entering. The roof was covered in a thick layer of snow, icicles hanging down from the edge of the porch and the warm light of the Christmas tree beckoning the both of them inside where the sounds of the family echoed into the quietness of the night. Straight off the front of a Christmas card. Inside the cabin was just as beautiful as outside, the cosy warmth reflected by the soft furnishings and the roaring fire that Mark and Chris had just lit, and now high-fiving in celebration of their triumph. “Sometimes it takes them an hour to get it lit.” Daniel murmured to her as they dropped the bags in the hall.

“Alright Sousas! Hot Chocolate and the bed for kiddos who want to Santa to come tonight!” Frank shouted through cupped hands. “Pjs for kiddos first.” Sophie and Chris chased the kids upstairs with some bags, leaving Mark to fetch the rest in and Sarah collapsed onto the couch, a hand on the swell of her pregnant stomach as she kicked her shoes off. Making a beeline for the kitchen, Daniel dug out the big pot and the milk, lighting the stove in one swift motion, leaving Daisy looking kind of lost in the middle of the room.

“Sorry,” Daniel chuckled, “Do you want to put our bags in our room? It’s the one down the hall to the right.” Daisy shouldered the bags and briefly kissed his cheek as he continued to stir the pot.

Ten minutes later, kids were sat under blankets cuddled up between the adults, everyone clutching steaming cups of chocolate goodness. Amelia had curled herself in between Daisy and Daniel, leaning into Daisy as the two of them giggled in their own conversation. Daniel couldn’t help but watch his girlfriend so at ease with his family, as if she’d known them for years. He knew she had been nervous at the idea of a traditional family Christmas, but right now everything felt right. Sophie appeared from upstairs and threw a bundle to Daniel.

“This year’s pyjamas.” She announced, as her brother rolled his eyes and undid the ribbon holding them together. Daisy smirked at his response. He’d filled her in on several festive traditions the family had and had described the matching family pyjamas as one of his least favourite. Although, she actually thought he secretly enjoyed it by the way he couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he held them out.

“Hey, there’s some for you too!” Daniel said, handing a smaller pair of checked flannel pyjamas to Daisy, who was equally as shocked.

“Yeah, well she’s one of us now. No one escapes the family Christmas Morning picture.” Sarah smirked as she rested her feet in her husbands lap. Daisy was beaming, looking down at the red fabric in her lap.

“Are you okay Daisy?” Amelia asked in a small voice.

Daisy wrapped her arms around the eight year old, “Yeah I’m okay ‘Melia, just happy to be here with you all.”

* * *

Christmas morning with the Sousas reminded Daisy of the time that Coulson rented a beach house for the entire gang to spend a weekend in. Chaos. Both her and Daniel were awoken by their bedroom door being flung open and three children descending on them shouting about Santa Clause and stockings and all manner of things, which neither of them could quite take in as they were still half asleep. As quick as they appeared, they disappeared back out of the room, leaving the two of them now sat up and slightly befuddled, both bursting into a fit of laughter at the early wake up call.

“Sorry about them.” Daniel said, running a hand through the unruly curls on top of his head.

“Don’t be. I love this. I love you.” Daisy said, moving closer to kiss him softly, his hand coming up to cup her face.

“I love you too. Merry Christmas Daisy.”

The two eventually made it to the living room, once the prosthetic was put on and Daisy’s bedhead had been somewhat tamed. Daniel immediately swept up a running George and plonked down on the sofa with him, as Sophie handed Daisy a cup of coffee.

“Trust me you’ll need it.” She grumbled, and Daisy laughed but was equally thankful for the warm cup.

Stockings were opened and gifts exchanged, much to the delight of everyone. A new star pendant hung from a gold chain around Daisy’s neck as Daniel closed the clasp, and she pulled him in for a long kiss. Eventually the kids moved away from their new toys and started buzzing around their parents.

“Yes, yes I know. Well, you’ll have to ask Daisy won’t you.” Catching the sound of her name, Daisy looked up to see all three kids approaching her slowly.

“Daisy…” Harper started, before looking to Amelia.

“What can I do for you kiddos?”

“Will you come ice skating with us? We go down on the pond every year.” Amelia asked, putting on her best puppy dog eyes. Sophie and Sarah both stifled a chuckle at the very obvious guilt trip, as Daisy floundered slightly.

“I don’t know guys, I’ve never actually skated before…” Daisy looked to Daniel for help, but he was just laughing to himself.

“We can show you how. Auntie Sarah taught us.” George piped up.

“Well, I can’t go on the ice this year guys, but I can leave Daisy in the capable hands of my second-in-command.” Sarah said, motioning to Sophie who stood up proudly.

“Right then, c’mon Daisy we’ll find some skates to fit you.” And with that Daisy was dragged out of the room and towards the garage followed by a gaggle of excited children. Daniel sighed happily and moved to make up the flasks of hot chocolate and coffee ready for the stroll down to the pond.

The walk down to the pond was gorgeous, the delicate sound of the snow crunching underneath everyone’s winter boots as they made their way through the tree, everyone bundled up with scarves and mittens to stave off the cold. The surroundings reminded Daisy of one year Coulson had dragged them all on hike through god-knows-where, mid-winter, in search of the perfect Christmas tree, despite everyone’s complaints of the cold. Occasionally, Chris would sneak around the group and pull on one of the snows, covered branches, causing the snow to fall on whichever unsuspecting victim was walking under it to be doused in the stuff. The kids bounced around, high on Christmas spirit and the high-sugar food they’d eaten for breakfast. Sarah and Frank had decided to stay at the cabin to get a start on lunch. Daisy walked alongside Sophie chatting happily with her as they approached the lake, aware that Daniel was bringing up the rear of the group, walking at a slower pace as he navigated his way through the snow. Attempting to push down the worry she felt for him, she reasoned that he knew his own limits, but she had become aware over the last year or so of the ways he had to compensate for the loss of his leg. The effect of cold weather wasn’t something that came up often on the west coast, but he’d briefly described to her the extra precautions he had to take in these conditions, extra thick sock liners or extra warming up before putting the prosthetic on. The smile on his face hadn’t faded yet, as it rarely ever did, and Daisy’s attention was quickly recaptured by the view of the frozen pond.

There was a clearing, where the trees parted, surrounding the frozen surface of the pond reflecting the winter sun. It was beautiful as the ice almost sparkled in front of them. Within minutes the kids had put their skates on and after a safety check by the parents they took off across the frozen surface. They were clearly all well practiced in the art, although their techniques were very different. Harper was gracefully skating around the edge of the pond, arms poised as if dancing across the ice, whereas both Amelia and George barrelled around the ice at top speed, racing each other as they lowered their centre of gravity and skated aggressively. Daisy laughed as she noted that Mark and Chris skated the same way, the four of them looking like they were ready to form an ice-hockey team there and then. Sophie had her skates on while Daisy watched everyone settle on the ice and pushed off before turning round and skating backwards.

“Come on Daisy! Skates on and let’s go!” Daisy huffed slightly and turned to perch on a tree stump and fasten the boots onto her feet. Daniel perched beside her as she did, batting her hands away to tie them up correctly.

“Where are your skates anyway?” Daisy asked impishly, expecting him to join his family on the ice.

“I can’t skate anymore,” he said tapping on the prosthetic lightly, and Daisy face dropped slightly. “Can’t wait to watch you fall on your ass though.” He smirked at her, and she moved to kiss the smirk off his face, her feet still across his lap.

“Come on lovebirds, you can do all that later.” Sophie shouted, skating over to the edge of the pond and holding her hands out for Daisy, who looked nervously back at Daniel who just smiled at her, and shoved her towards his sister. Gingerly, Daisy placed one skate onto the ice and it immediately slipped out from under her, causing her to latch on to Sophie with an iron grip. The more experience woman laughed slightly before helping her to right herself on the ice, her feet spread wide as she wobbled around still gripping onto Sophie like a lifeline.

“You’ve got this, you need to relax a little.” Sophie chuckled, before slowly moving backwards and pulling Daisy with her. Taking a few ‘Tai-Chi’ breaths, as she’d taken to calling them, Daisy found herself relaxing into a rhythm, moving her feet in time with Sophie’s as her confidence began to grow. Soon enough she was skating laps around the pond, just holding on to one of Sophie’s gloved hands, as the kids darted in between them, showing off tricks they’d learnt.

“Right. Now Daisy, I want you to try that little spin that Harper is doing.” Daisy looked at her sceptically and Sophie let go of her hand but didn’t move too far away. Daisy wobbled as she brought in her limbs and attempted to spin, it wasn’t graceful by any stretch, but she smiled widely as she slowed herself down. Her eyes darted to where Daniel was sat, where he clapped and whooped in her direction and she did a mock bow. That was her first mistake as the shift in weight caused her to topple over, taking Sophie down with her as the pair landed in a heap, both of them in fits of laughter as everyone stopped skating to look at them.

Eventually, they scrambled up from the ice and regained their balance. Daisy watched as Daniel sat back down, having jumped up when they fell, and his sister followed her gaze.

“He’s not come on the ice since the accident.” She stated simply, moving out of the way of a speed-skating George.

“Did he skate before?” Daisy enquired curiously, still watching her boyfriend out the corner of her eye as his eyes followed his nephew as he raced round.

“Yeah, him and Ma taught us. He’d lead us around like I led you, catch us when we fell. He was really good, but ever since he just won’t. Not that we haven’t tried. The kids try every year, but he always says he’s just content to watch us all.”

“He clearly wants to.” Daisy stated matter-of-factly.

“What do you mean?” Sophie said confused, glancing at her brother.

“The way he’s fidgeting. His knee is bouncing.” Daisy said, continuing when Sophie was still looking at her confused. “He’s so still normally, stoic even. Like he’s always calm. But when he’s nervous or really wants something, he fidgets. You’ve never noticed?”

“Can’t say I have, but then again, he’s just my big brother. I don’t study him all that often.” Sophie smirked, and Daisy blushed slightly.

“I’m gonna try something. Can you keep the kids occupied up that end?”

“Sure, you go work your magic. His skates are in the bag, if you can convince him.” Sophie winked at her before whizzing off towards the rest of her family.

Pushing off on her skates, trying her best not to wobble over again, she approached the edge closest to Daniel, who met her there when he saw her heading his way.

“Having fun?” He asked, rubbing his gloved hands together.

“Yeah, although you need to stop distracting me apparently.” She snarked. “Why don’t you come join me?”

“Daisy, you know I can’t.” He said motioning to the leg.

“I’ve seen you do far more strenuous things than this with and without the leg.” She stated, quirking an eyebrow at him. He smirked at the insinuation, before schooling his face back into a straight one.

“Yeah, but I can’t… I just…”

“Are you afraid of falling?” Daisy asked gently, skating that little bit closer to him.

“Well, yeah but, it’s not just that.” He murmured, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Daisy didn’t say anything, but just waited for him to express the rest of his feelings, knowing that badgering him with questions wasn’t the way to get through to him. “I enjoyed it so much before, and I wasn’t half bad. It’s just not gonna be the same now.”

“Why does it have to be the same? Nothing’s the same this year. I’m here for one.” Daisy responded after a moment. “It doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy things. So, it’s different. Come try it with me? I’ll be beside you the whole time. You can pick me up when I fall.” She smirked and the wave of warm affection he held for her flooded through his body at the sight of her soft gaze on him. “Soph said your skates are in the bag.”

Slowly, he reached for the large duffel bag, and extracted the familiar pair of battered skates. Sighing in resignation slightly, he took his time fitting the prosthetic into the skate, tying it tightly and flexing it to get used to the additional weight of the blade. Once both skates were on, he looked back to Daisy who nodded encouragingly and held out her hands. Cautiously he stepped out onto the ice, good leg first and very slowly transferring a small amount of his body weight to the prosthetic. He was gripping Daisy hands tightly, but his gaze was firmly fixed on his feet as they inched their way further onto the ice, his face pinched in concentration. Daisy was attempting to steer them, still shaky on her own feet, and decided distraction was probably the best way to get Daniel out of his own head.

“You know May was a championship figure skater when she was younger.” Daniel’s eyes shot up to meet hers at the unexpected statement. “Seriously, I found pictures and trophies in the attic at the house. She was the under-11 champion at 9 years old. Apparently, she switched to martial arts when she learned she could hit people there.”

“Yeah, and the floors are padded. Hurts less to get knocked on your ass.” Daniel said, eyeing the solid surface beneath them.

“Hey, we’ve not fallen yet. And look how far we’ve made it.” Daisy said pointing to the shore they’d set off from which was now about 100 ft away. Daniel panicked slightly at the realisation, and his feet skidded further apart on the ice, his hands gripping Daisy’s arm instinctively to keep him upright. “Hey, hey, Sousa! Stay with me. Okay? I’ve got you.” Daisy said, moving to cup his face as his eyes stayed wide. “We’re fine, look. How’s the leg doing?”

“Er, it’s okay actually. Better than I expected it to be at any rate.” He said, as if the thought grounded him slightly. He was nowhere near as steady on his feet as he had been as a kid, but he fought to try.

“Sophie said not to look at the ground, so keep your eyes on me okay? I might be okay skating forwards but backwards is a whole new ball game.” She smiled and briefly looked behind her. “Let me know if I’m going to run into a child, okay? One step at a time.” He nodded and together they skated slowly round the bottom half of the pond, the two of them absorbed in just each other.

“You know I realised something.” Daniel said.

“What?”

“In the whole organisation of the trip and excitement with everything, we missed our anniversary. One year ago, yesterday, you kissed me in The Lighthouse for the first time.” He smirked, his confidence seemingly reappearing.

“Oh shit, I didn’t even think about that.” She said, covering her mouth when she realised there might be kids nearby. “I can’t believe it’s been a year. It feels so long ago but so-”

“so not long ago either.” He finished her sentence. “I think it might be the best year of my life you know?” He said, pulling them both to a stop in the middle of the pond. A soft snowfall had started, snowflakes peppered in their hair not covered by hats.

“Oh really? Because I was just thinking the same thing.” Daisy said winding her arms around his neck as he pulled her close, their bodies warm against each other. “Here’s to many more Daniel.”

“To many more.” He echoed. Their lips met softly, and the world melted away around them, the couple in a tender embrace straight off of a Christmas card. And in that moment, it felt like time froze, if only long enough for them to hold each other tight in the cold.

And if what brought them out of that moment and back down to earth was the pair of them hitting the ice as they lost their balance, then they fell together before picking each other back up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Comments and kudos always appreciated, everyone was so lovely on the last couple fo chapters I felt so appreciated 🥰
> 
> Tumblr - momentofch-aos


	19. Take it Back to the Start (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “They always call each other that, so everyone else just kind of follows. Fitz thinks they were secret agents in another life, so that’s why they do it. In reality, they were lecturers at the college, but Fitz thinks Agent Coulson is better than Professor Coulson.”
> 
> Daisy hummed as she pondered the thought. May for sure could be a secret agent, but Coulson? She couldn’t see it. Jemma laughed when she voiced this, and lightly threw her a bag of coffee beans to fill the machines up. 
> 
> Or Prequel: part 2- Daisy meets Fitz and another man who will not be named (but will in this chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2021! I feel like I've not posted in ages but I've been run off my feet busy, as well as writing a long old thing for my alternate timeline fic 👀
> 
> Okay, so this is the potentially worst chapter I've written yet, but I find it so difficult to write Ward, cos every fibre of my being wants to hate him. BUT I have news. I'm going to create a new book, for this prequel/ pre-Sousa stuff, as I think it should be as far away from my little (mainly) fluffy AU, but I do have some ideas for cute one shots, which will fill out Daisy's backstory a little.
> 
> So I'm going to post a separate book in this series, with these first two chapters in it, if you want to check it out, and then I'll a few chapters to it when I can!

Her first morning rush went well as she tried to keep up with May’s fluid movements and polite conversations with customers. With her small amount of waitress experience she thought it would be easy to keep up, but she couldn’t help but feel as if she was floundering a little. The queue and general bustle of customers seemed to thin out around half ten and Daisy found the time to take a breath in the kitchen, as Jemma came in to start her shift. May passed her a cup of tea silently, before slipping past her and into the office, the low murmurings of her and Coulson talking barely audible over the gentle music playing over the speakers in the shop.

After taking a minute, she returned back to the shop floor and helped Jemma clean up.

“Hey Jemma, why do Coulson and May call each other by their last names? I’ve just realised you do it too.” Daisy asked as they stacked the display case full of pastries.

“They always call each other that, so everyone else just kind of follows. Fitz thinks they were secret agents in another life, so that’s why they do it. In reality, they were lecturers at the college, but Fitz thinks Agent Coulson is better than Professor Coulson.”

Daisy hummed as she pondered the thought. May for sure could be a secret agent, but Coulson? She couldn’t see it. Jemma laughed when she voiced this, and lightly threw her a bag of coffee beans to fill the machines up. Once the tables were cleared and counter ready for the lunch rush (Daisy secretly hoped this would be the last rush of the day), Jemma left her alone in the shop to get something from the stockroom. Bracing herself for actually dealing with a customer on her own for the first time, she almost jumped when the bell above the door rang out and a short guy with bright blue eyes looked at her, almost startling himself upon seeing her.

“Hey is Simmons- I mean Jemma around? She said she was working today.” He asked after an awkward moment of silence.

“Oh, you must be Fitz she keeps mentioning. Yeah, she’s just getting something.” She watched as the Scotsman eyed her up, nervously shifting from foot to foot in the awkward silence between them.

“You work with Jemma then?” Daisy questioned.

“Erm- yeah we were partnered up in the labs at school. Something to do with us being the youngest, the British thing was probably a factor.” He explained, wringing his hands but a soft smile on his face. A smile that only widened when Jemma came into view.

“Oh Fitz, you’re here! I see you’ve met Daisy?” She said, bumping shoulders with her new friend.

“Uh yeah- I came to grab those-”

“-notes on the hypothetical application of dendrotoxin-”

“-on the human anatomy, in order to write the-”

“-engineering paper for our joint-”

“project for Dr Hall’s assignment.”

Daisy watched as they finished each other’s sentences, seemingly not noticing themselves as Jemma fished out a folder from her bag beneath the counter.

“Even though it’s hypothetical, I still think we’re going to fail with the amount of dendrotoxin you’ve built the capsules for.”

“Alright then Simmons, you’ll have to increase the concentration of the dendrotoxin won’t you?”

“But Fitz, you gave me only 10….” It was at this point Daisy lost track of the conversation and stood there watching them argue with each other, their voices crossing over each other. She briefly caught mentions of ‘Hermione’ and ‘inertia’, but she was completely lost.

“Fitzsimmons!” Coulson’s voice cut through the noise and everyone turned to look at him. “You could at least ease Daisy in before you get all _Fitzsimmons_ on her.” Coulson cracked a smile, as they both muttered their apologies to Daisy. “Anyway Fitz, I’ve got a check for you in the office, can I have a word about something as well?”

“Yeah, sure thing boss,” He turned to follow him, not before turning to Jemma, “We’ll continue this later. I’m still right.” He whispered, causing Jemma to roll her eyes as he walked away. She grabbed a cup of tea she’d made early and took a sip before realising Daisy was just kind of staring at her blankly.

“So how long have you and Fitz been dating?” Jemma choked on her tea and coughed almost violently at the question.

“We’re not- I- we’re just- he’s my best friend.” She finally spluttered out, her cheeks flushing pink as Daisy smirked at her across the table.

“Sure, Jemma.” She said as her new friend continued to blush, only to be startled when Fitz returned.

“You okay Simmons?” he asked, concerned at the state she seemed to be in.

“Yeah- erm- Yeah absolutely fine Fitz, thank you. Did Coulson ask you which one to buy?” Daisy watched them dive into a deep conversation about the ins and outs of a milk steamer, like they were the only two people on the planet. It was clear to see they were very familiar with each other, and she took note of how Fitz’s eyes softened when Jemma started ranting about something, she was passionate about. He wasn’t alone, over the next few weeks of knowing them she took note of how they interacted, Jemma being concerned about Fitz when he was stressed or how they exchanged smiles when one brought the other a cup of tea when they needed comfort.

* * *

Daisy’s first week working at the Lighthouse was going great, and the first Friday she was due to work, she found herself stood outside the back door, waiting for Phil to turn up. He joked and laughed with her about getting employee of the month, as she began to start the routine of an opening shift with May, the older woman praising her about how she’d already picked it up. Smiling at the compliment, like a child being praised by their favourite teacher, her head shot up when the bell above the door rang out. A quick glance to the clock on the wall told her they weren’t open yet.

The figure was somewhat silhouetted against the early morning sun that shone through the windows. Wearing a pair of sunglasses and brown leather jacket, the decidedly handsome man huffed when he saw her pop up from behind the counter, taking his glasses off with one hand.

“Great, another untrained barista to bother me at work.” Daisy floundered slightly at the insult, the man making her uneasy as he seemed to narrow his gaze on her.

“Ward. This is Daisy.” May said, seemingly popping up from nowhere beside her newest barista. Daisy didn’t miss the frighteningly intimidating glare May was sending the man in front of her. “Daisy, this is Grant Ward, our part time barista. He’ll be working with you today. He’s going to help you.”

“Sure thing, Melinda.” The younger woman saw as May physically bristled at the use of her first name, before she looked back at Daisy for confirmation, she was okay with this. Daisy nodded as Grant shrugged his jacket off and hung it up on the coat rack.

“Just don’t get in my way.” He grunted as he began pouring a coffee. May shot her a reassuring look before heading back to the office, opening the blinds so she could keep an eye on the situation. _‘Well, this will be fun.’_

It wasn’t difficult to see why they kept Ward around. He may have been a jackass to her, but he was charming to the customers, flashing a winning smile at older ladies while convincing them to try the more expensive items on the menu. He also made a show of making drinks, flipping cups and telling jokes to the customers, as he poured the perfect latte. She mainly tried to stay out of his way, taking orders and payments, sorting the various coins into the old style till. There was something about this man, he wasn’t like the other team members of the Lighthouse.

It wasn’t until Ward left for his break that Daisy allowed herself to relax a little. Jemma and Fitz wandered in as he left, Fitz giving him a slap on the back as they passed him.

“I see you met Ward?” Jemma asked Daisy as she settled against the countertop to chat to them.

“Yeah, he seems… difficult?” Daisy mentioned, cupping her hands around the chai latte she’d made herself.

“He’s an arse.” Fitz added, before putting his hands on his hips. “I’m Grant Ward, and I could grind beans with my forehead and a countertop.” Fitz mocked, causing both girls to collapse with laughter.

It got better. Working with Ward was harder than with May or Jemma, Daisy forced herself to be on the ball all the time, unwilling to show her weakness in front of him. Slowly he became more open with her, friendlier than the cold shoulder he’d originally showed her. It seemed like she needed to earn his respect. She was very aware that May tended to always keep an eye when Daisy was working with Ward, as if watching over her. It was weird to see someone looking out for her wellbeing, but she shrugged it off with May having a problem with Ward. Charming when he wanted to be, Daisy found herself trying to impress him with her efforts to improve and went out of her way to try to get him to break his serious façade. The first time he smiled at her, she couldn’t help but tease him about it, to which he rolled his eyes and walked away.

And slowly, Daisy found herself loving life at the Lighthouse. Still living in her van parked in the alley, Daisy found solace in the team she had around her. Jemma and Fitz started inviting her to movie nights, and trips to the beach, while Coulson and May made sure she was fed and happy before they locked up the shop each night. And she couldn’t help that she began to hope, something she hadn’t done since she was a small child. To hope for a home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm not gonna ask for kudos on this one, but I'll return to the usual fluffy Dousy side of things soon 💛


	20. In A Moment of Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘There has been a recent explosion at the Stark Industries LA Campus. Reports state that flames erupted from inside what seems to be the personal lab of Howard and Tony Stark. Fire crews are arriving on scene now, there is currently no news on casualties or fatalities caused by this unfortunate…’
> 
> And then the words were drowned out by the thud of his heart that was echoing through Daniel’s head. The screen showed helicopter shots of flames rising from the building that his wife was supposed to be in, from the very room where she was working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya - I've had so little time to write recently, but I thought of this and managed to carve some time out to write this little chapter.
> 
> Slightly angsty, with some fluff for good measure. Also the return of Publisher!Peggy who is a badass in all universes, just as Daisy is a hero! Bit of soft and sad Daniel for good measure and we have ourselves a chapter!

If you asked Daniel Sousa two years ago who his favourite person was, he’d have said Daisy without a moment of hesitation, but ever since he’d laid eyes on his baby daughter, Charlotte Grace Sousa had been a fierce contender for pole position. And a little over a year later, he was still totally head over heels for his daughter. The spitting image of her mother in miniature, one toothy grin from the little rascal and his heart began to melt. Watching Daisy and Charlie together, doing every day mundane tasks, was his favourite past time. Countless pictures hung around their home and flooded the camera roll on his phone, cataloguing every moment of Charlotte’s life so far, and neither of her parents planned on stopping that anytime soon.

It was surprising to both of them how quickly they settled into a routine when both of them ‘returned’ to work. Both fortunate to have control over their own working hours, there was rarely time when Charlotte was without one of her parents, unless it was date night and she went to spend the night with her grandparents, which was rarer than either Coulson or May liked. This week Daisy was working for the Stark’s on some coding and ‘competitor research’ they needed, so morning’s and early afternoons were spent as just Charlie, Daniel and Cooper. They spent their time reading and playing and toddling round between meals. And as Daniel looked at his daughter messily eating her lunch, and he couldn’t believe how content he was. It was another moment where he looked back and wondered if past him, downcast in New York, about to move across the country, ever dared to believe he could have this life.

The plan for the afternoon was that he would meet Peggy for some kind of book meeting, but they’d meet at Stark Industries HQ, so Charlotte could be passed over to Daisy beforehand. Then he’d be home for dinner and bedtime, just like every night.

He chuckled as the sippy-cup hit the floor for the tenth time and put down his own sandwich to pick it up. The news provided some background noise to the whole affair, but he wasn’t really paying attention as he cleaned the mess of sauce spread over Charlotte’s face, before extracting her from the high chair and changing her now messy clothes.

“Can’t take you to Starks and having you show up not dressed in your best, can we Charlie girl?” He received a babbled response of something that sounded vaguely like ‘mama’. “Yeah, we’re going to see Mama baby, she’s working right now.” Balancing the baby carefully on his hip, he started going round the living room gathering the things he’d need to take with him. The news suddenly burst out with the breaking news sound, drawing his attention to the screen when he heard the reporter speak.

_‘There has been a recent explosion at the Stark Industries LA Campus. Reports state that flames erupted from inside what seems to be the personal lab of Howard and Tony Stark. Fire crews are arriving on scene now, there is currently no news on casualties or fatalities caused by this unfortunate…’_

And then the words were drowned out by the thud of his heart that was echoing through Daniel’s head. The screen showed helicopter shots of flames rising from the building that his wife was supposed to be in, from the very room where she was working. The flash of ambulance and fire truck lights were visible on the screen, through the thick smoke that billowed from the fire and his heart dropped. He dialled her number reflexively, only for it to go straight to voicemail. Charlotte could clearly feel his panic level rising as the usual quiet girl began to fuss.

“I know sweetheart.” He muttered quietly as he grabbed his car keys and ran out the door. Cooper whined, but Daniel didn’t have time to bring him too. Her name was on repeat in his head, unable to stop his mind from jumping to the worst conclusions. His hands fumbled with the straps of Charlotte’s car seat, as he secured them, only stressing the girl out more as she began to sob. “I know honey, I’m sorry. We’re going. I know.”

It wasn’t a long drive normally, in fact it was normally a pleasant drive down the coast road, but this time it was fraught with swirling thoughts and panicked breaths. Daniel almost had to remind himself to breathe, scared that he’d forget in between his worry. Only when he hit a wall of traffic a block away from the campus did Daniel realise that bringing a baby to the scene of an accident wasn’t his smartest choice. Not that he had any other choice, with all their usual babysitters out of town or at work.

Pulling the car onto a random sidewalk that was free of onlookers, he threw himself out of the car. As soon as the smell of smoke hit his lungs, he felt the wind knock out of him. For a moment he was back in his darkest moments, the day that haunted his dreams. Pushing aside the harrowing memories that flashed in front of his eyes and the pain that radiated through his leg, he pulled Charlie out of the car, and took off running as best he could, his arms wrapped tightly round his sobbing daughter, as she hid her face in the crook of his neck. His own mind felt foggy as he tried to avoid bumping into the people around him.

Upon reaching the police barrier, Daniel scanned the swarms of people for his wife, unable to see any familiar faces. Shifting through the public who had begun to gather by the barrier, he heard a familiar voice, and as a group of firefighters shifted, they revealed Peggy stood with the police, somehow commanding the lot of them.

“Peggy!” He shouted, trying to get through the barrier, only to be pushed back by a uniformed officer. “No, you don’t understand… my wife… I’ve got to…” He was pleading now.

“Let him through, he’s with me.” Peggy said, walking over to them as Daniel finally got let through.

“Peggy, where’s Daisy? Do you know? Have you seen her?” Daniel stammered, talking at a speed which made him difficult to understand.

“Daniel, you need to breathe.” Peggy said in her most soothing tone.

“Peggy where is my wife?” She hadn’t seen him like this before. Having known and worked with him for years, she knew him to be a centre of calm within most of life’s chaos. But right now, there was a look in his eyes of pure panic, his eye wide and flitting around the scene with a despondent urgency.

“We found her limping out of the building, she’s in an ambulance. She was carrying Tony.” Peggy said placing a hand on his arm, as he stilled at her revelation.

“Where?” He asked almost breathlessly, absentmindedly running his hand up and down his daughters back, as her muffled sobs had subsided slightly, her face still pressed against his shoulder.

“She’s over there.” She stopped him as he tried to dart off. “ I don’t know what state she’s in Daniel. Give me Charlotte, I’ll keep her while you check on your wife. She shouldn’t see her mother if… if something’s wrong.”

Daniel shifted uneasily as his mind whirred, between leaving his daughter and reaching his wife.

“Daniel, do you trust me?” He nodded. “I’ll keep her safe, you should go to Daisy. She needs you now.” Hesitantly, he transferred Charlotte into Peggy’s arms, the young girl whimpering and reaching for her father almost immediately.

“I know meu amor, I know. You stay with Peggy, I’ve got to check on your mama.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, which settled her slightly. “I know baby. Be good little one. Stay close.” With one last look at his daughter’s small tear stained face, he turned and rushed towards the group of ambulances, trying to stop his heart from completely breaking in two.

It was a hive of activity around the ambulances, and Daniel eagerness to find his wife meant he was largely unaware of his surroundings. Paramedics rushed from vehicle to patients who were sat on the side of the road nursing injuries, people in silver shock blankets being escorted to safer areas as the smoke continued to rise from the smouldering building in the background. Briefly catching sight of Howard Stark climbing into an ambulance, Daniel’s own worry reflected on his face, the scientist’s gaze fixed firmly on the unconscious figure of his teenage son. Just when he thought his heart beat couldn’t race any faster, Howard suddenly looked straight at him, their equally panicked eyes meeting across the hub of activity. Howard pointed at the ambulance beside his as the doors were shut in front of him, ready to whisk Tony off for medical attention. Gratefully, Daniel moved as fast as his legs could carry him towards the back of the ambulance.

Unsure as to whether his heart broke entirely, or was partially fixed, he let out a breath as he caught sight of his wife. The brain fog seemed to lift as if she was a light in the dark, leading him home. She was hooked up to a monitor with an oxygen mask across her mouth, but he watched transfixed as she seemed to consciously communicate with the EMT who was seeing to her.

“Daisy.” He swore he spoke in barely a whisper, but her eyes met his immediately and she reached out for him. He was by her side in an instant, unable to stop his body from moving towards her if he had wanted to. “Daisy.”

“Hey.” She croaked, her voice hoarse.

“Sir, you can’t be in here.” The EMT tried to insist.

“I’m her husband. I need to be.” He said, with a sharpness that he immediately regretted. He tried to shoot her an apologetic look and thankfully she was understanding. “Is she okay?” He asked softly, knowing that if he asked Daisy she’d obfuscate.

The EMT, Donna, placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

“She’s suffering with the effects of smoke inhalation, a couple of burns and some bruising from the initial impact. She’s okay now she’s on the oxygen, your girl is a fighter.” Daniel laced his fingers with his wife’s, and she squeezed it tight, telling him she was alright, though he was still dubious. “Daisy dear, you need to stay on the oxygen okay, give your lungs a chance to recuperate.” Daisy nodded slightly. “I’m going to give the two of you a minute, and check if there’s anyone else that need seeing to. Then we’ve been directed by Mr Stark to take you to his hospital. He was very insistent that you get the best care.” The kind woman chuckled as Daisy rolled her eyes, stepping out of the ambulance and rolling the door shut behind her, blocking out a large amount of the noise around them.

It was only once the noise quietened that Daniel allowed himself to break, the panic he had been trying to hold onto while he found her, for the sake of Charlotte and himself, was suddenly let loose as he let out a ragged sob. Seeing the dam break in her husband, Daisy tugged on his hand and pulled him towards her. His past that he tried so hard to forget often caught up with him when he least expected it. Leaning on the edge of the gurney, he pulled her into his arms as best he could, without jostling the oxygen or various other leads she was hooked up to. As she leaned back on the bed, his head laid on her shoulder, her hair covering most of his face as she threaded her fingers through his hair soothingly. The smell of smoke clung to her skin and hair, filling his nostrils as he held her close, letting her ground him from his own swirling thoughts. 

Her breathing was louder than normal, a detail most people wouldn’t pick up on, but he did. When he woke up from nightmares about his accident, which happened less frequently now but still affected him, he latched onto the sounds and rhythms that ensured him Daisy was alive and well beside him. She understood, she was partial to doing the same thing to him, when she was shaken from sleep by something from her past.

They sat like that for a few moments, until Daniel’s tears dried, and he sat up, perched on the edge of her bed, his stronger leg bolstering him in place.

“Where’s Charlotte?” Daisy said, her voice quiet and raw.

“Peggy has her. She’s safe. I shouldn’t have brought her, I just- I didn’t know what to do.” He covered his face with his hands.

“You kept her safe Daniel, that’s all I could wish for.” Daisy said, reaching for his hand again. He took hers and squeezed it slightly.

“What happened in there?” He asked.

“There was explosion. Something sparking in the corner of the lab, an old project of Howard’s, Tony said. It was whirring, so we went to see if we could unhook it from the power. Then all of a sudden, this high pitched sound came from, there was a flash of light and the next thing I knew Tony was tackling me to the floor. I opened my eyes, and the room was full of smoke and the fire was spreading. Tony was lying on the floor, he wouldn’t wake up properly. The main door was blocked by fire, so I dragged him to the other door and carried him out the rest of the way. There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the building, evacuation procedures must have worked.” She finished, seemingly resting her eyes as her head hit the pillow again. “Howard and Peggy met us at the front door, the fire department had stopped them coming in to get us out. Did you see Tony? Is he okay?” Her head perked up a bit at the thought.

“I saw Howard get into an ambulance with him. You saved his life, Daisy.” He pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand.

“He saved mine. If I’d been caught by the initial explosion…”

“But you weren’t. Thank god.” Daniel stopped her from finishing the sentence.

“I’m okay Daniel,” He gave her a look, “or I will be.” She added. “Can you get Charlie please? I need to see her.”

“Okay.” He dropped a kiss to her forehead and went to reopen the back door to look for wherever Peggy had ended up. He chuckled when he caught sight of the British woman, who still had his daughter nestled in his arms but seemed to be settling back into her previous role as the Stark Industries muscle. He called to Daisy to take a look, and she joined in his amusement as Charlotte sat proudly on Peggy’s hip, mirroring the older woman’s expression with her hand poised on her hip just like Peggy’s was as she ordered round a clean-up crew.

The publisher caught his eyes and pointed Charlotte’s parents out to the young girl, who shrieked and reached out for them. As Peggy got closer, Daniel scooped Charlotte out of her arms, bouncing her in the most natural way as he turned back towards the ambulance.

“Did you have fun with Peggy, baby? Yeah, bossing people around? Yeah, she bosses me around too sometimes. I’m sure you’ll be doing that too soon.” Peggy couldn’t help but smile at her old friend as he exhibited the fatherly love for his daughter. “Hey Charlie, guess who I found. Look who’s that.”

When the girl was passed into her mother’s arms, she initially was weary of the mask that covered the bottom half of her face. She soon settled against Daisy’s chest and Daniel couldn’t help but look fondly at his girls.

“Thanks for that Peg.” He said sincerely. “She likes you.”

“Daniel, she’s your daughter. She likes everybody.”

“That’s a lie, she threw up on Thompson the first time she met him.” He smirked, causing Peggy to outwardly laugh.

“Well, I’m honoured then. She’s the spit of Daisy though, you’re going to be fighting off her dates when she’s old enough.” Peggy teased him, and he huffed slightly.

“Don’t remind me, that’s at least 18 years away yet.”

“It looks good on you Daniel. Being a father. Even with all this going on,” She motioned to the smouldering building behind them, the fire finally out and the sky beginning to clear, shades of orange and pink stretching across the expanse. “I’m so happy for you. And I’m happy Daisy is safe, and I’m grateful that she saved my godson.”

“Apparently he saved her first. He’s a good kid.”

“He’s one of the best.” Peggy said, smiling at the thought of her Tony being a hero. “Get back to you family, Daniel. We can meet for our talk sometime before I head back to New York.”

“Thanks Peg.” Daniel stepped back up into the ambulance, as Peggy turned to walk away. She looked back only once, to see the little family of three holding each other close in the already cramped space. Even in a moment of chaos, they found themselves where they needed to be. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Comment, kudos and ideas always welcomed and appreciated! 💛
> 
> Tumblr - momentofch-aos


	21. All Over Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking in the arms of her husband, the cool breeze making the curtains flutter in the light of the morning sun, was one of Daisy’s favourite feelings. The weight of his arm slung over her waist, a tangle of legs as she could feel his even breaths on the back of her neck. She sunk back into the pillows, letting herself drift back into a blissful sleep in the warmth of his embrace.
> 
> or: A Valentine's Day chapter, which is kinda steamier than anything I normally write but not really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... so this is a day later than I wanted to post this, but I really pushed myself to write something a bit different. Also I spent the time I set aside to write this, drawing out a timeline for this AU which is overly complicated at the point 😂
> 
> Anyway here's some fluff, flirting and feelings from our favourite ship! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Waking in the arms of her husband, the cool breeze making the curtains flutter in the light of the morning sun, was one of Daisy’s favourite feelings. The weight of his arm slung over her waist, a tangle of legs as she could feel his even breaths on the back of her neck. She sunk back into the pillows, letting herself drift back into a blissful sleep in the warmth of his embrace.

The next time she awoke, it was to feel of soft kisses being pressed down her neck and shoulders, and arm around her middle, holding her close as a happy smile spread across her face.

“Good morning, meu amor.” He murmured against her skin, and she twisted to face him. His strong features were illuminated by the golden rays that bounced through the window, his soft curls in their natural state, dropping down to frame his face as he was propped up on his elbow besides her. Lowering himself down, she met his lips in a tender kiss, the sleepy haze slowly seeping from her body as he held her close to deepen the kiss. “Happy Valentine’s Day Daisy.”

Daisy froze. Valentine’s day. Their first one since they’d been married. Of course, she forgot. She’d never really given the day much thought before, that past couple of years aside, she’d never once received a meaningful valentine. Every year with Daniel, he’d given her flowers and a card, and kept it low key but maybe he expected more from her now they were married. Her mind stalled slightly, before she heard her husband chuckling above her, and she looked at him quizzically.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, I just knew you’d forget about Valentine’s Day.” He smirked down at her, attempting to kiss her as she rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t even think about it! It didn’t occur to me, and you didn’t say anything!” She sulked as she crossed her arms across her chest.

“Daisy, it’s fine-” Daniel said, a smirk still on his face, but she interrupted him.

“No, no it’s not fine Daniel.” She sat up, practically moving him off her in the process. “You do all these wonderful romantic gestures and I forget everything. I just- I’m no good with this wife stuff.” Drawing her knees up to her chest, she rested her head on her knees, letting her hair cover her face. Her husband paused in shock at _‘where the hell did that come from’,_ before he pulled himself up to sit in front of her.

“Daisy, what are you talking about? You know I don’t think that. Meu amor…” His fingertips slowly traced up and down her lower leg as she sat in her hunched over position.

“I think that. I’m so sorry, you deserve-” She murmured into her knees.

“Daisy I’m going to stop you right there. I love you more than words can say, I feel like the luckiest man in the world to be your husband. Dais- look at me.” She slowly raised her head, her eyes red as she looked to him. “I don’t care about gifts or cards or these ridiculous commercial holidays, I’m just grateful that I get to live my life with you.”

“Then why do you do all this stuff for me, the flowers and the gifts. I don’t need that either, I just need you.” Daisy said, unfurling from her position slightly to listen to his answer.

“Because… well, because I like spoiling you. I love watching you open little things I get because they remind me of you, or the sweet way you smile when I bring you flowers. Because you deserve to feel like that as often as possible. So, I do the cheesy husband things, because even if you roll your eyes and call me a dork, it makes you smile and that is the most beautiful sight.”

“But I don’t do those things for you… doesn’t that make it unfair for you?” She tilted her head at his kind words, the pink rising in her cheeks as she took in what he was saying.

“No of course not. You show me every day how you love me, when you make any excuse to touch or be near me, not matter what I’m doing,” he got a smile out of her with that. “And when you tell me I need to take it easy because I’m overdoing it with the prosthetic. Or when you kiss me, and it makes me feel like I’m falling in love with you all over again. That reminds me every day that you love me, just as I love you.” He leant towards her, that charming, goofy smile matching hers, as she wiped the tear tracks from her face.

“You’re a sap, Sousa.” She laughed.

“Yeah, well I’m your sap.” He grinned as she moved towards him, locking her lips with his, pulling him in with that magnetic force of hers, the one that had drawn them together since that first day they met.

* * *

The main part of Daniel’s plan was the dinner reservations he’d made for them that evening, and after spending the day basking in the warm glow of each other, dinner overlooking the bay sounded like a cloud above their already cloud nine day.

“I think you need to change out of my shirt before we go to dinner.” He said lowly, as he wrapped his arms around her as she stood at the kitchen island, sipping her coffee.

“Well, what if I don’t? I thought you liked this look on me.” She smarted back at him, leaning into his chest.

“Oh, I do. I love it. I just don’t think they’ll let us in the restaurant like this.” He said, pressing his soft kisses down her neck.

“Well, I better go and get dressed then.” Daisy made an attempt to move away, only to laugh when he didn’t move from his position, with his arms holding her in place. “If you want me to get ready, you’re going to need to let go. I need to shower.”

“Maybe I could help with that.” He murmured against her skin. She whirled round in his arms to face him.

“If I let that happen, we’d never make it to dinner.” He shrugged his shoulders, and she chuckled. “Now, I’m going to shower. Alone. Quit your pouting.” She leant over to press a kiss to his lips, taking advantage of his momentary distraction to slip away and stick her tongue out at him as she left him standing in the kitchen.

His wife was in the small dressing room off of the closet when he entered to get dressed himself. He was half dressed and taming his hair in the mirror, when the door swung open behind him. As he twirled round, it was like the wind was knocked out of him, as it often was when his wife walked into the room. She threw her head back in a laugh at his almost comical drop-jawed expression. This was the reason for selecting this particular dress, as she knew he’d have this kind of reaction.

The red number was something she’d bought a while ago when Bobbi had dragged on a ‘girls day’ and never had the opportunity to wear. Highlighting her curves, and accentuating her features, while remaining classy and it hit its mark. Her hair lay in waves down her back and shoulders

“You look… stunning.” His wolfish look returned as he glanced down her body.

“Take it all in Danny Boy.” She walked towards him, leaned closely into his ear, the scent of his woodsy cologne filling her nostrils, as she spoke softly. “Maybe you’ll get to unwrap this gift later.” He took a sharp breath in, breathing in the scent of her shampoo and perfume as she drew close to him. And just like that she stepped away.

“But- wha-” he stammered as if the absence of her confused his brain suddenly.

“Daniel, I think you need to get dressed. I don’t think they’ll let you in the restaurant like that.” She said over her shoulder, swaying her hips as she left the room. The grin on her face as she left, knowing the reaction she’d caused in him, lasted only momentarily, as she felt a strong pair of hands on her hips, twirling her round to be met in a passionate kiss. She felt like she was floating, the warmth from his hands spreading through her, filling her chest as she tugged him closer by the collar of his partially open shirt. When he eventually pulled away, he had that big grin on his face, and she was sure she was mirroring.

“Happy Valentine’s Day Daniel.” She said, looking proud of herself.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little slice of this little universe
> 
> Comment, kudos and prompts always welcomed and appreciated! 💛
> 
> Tumblr - momentofch-aos


	22. A Place to Grow Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She couldn’t tell you why, but after getting back from New York at New Years, Daisy had been stressed. Telling everyone they were expecting twins had been exciting, but since they had returned home it had really set in for Daisy that relatively soon there would be two more humans joining their little family. Daniel, for his part, seemed to be fine. Perfectly at ease, ever the doting husband who couldn’t not stare and smile at her growing stomach whenever he had a spare minute.
> 
> She looked around at the apartment and had begun to overthink about how much their lives would have to change from their current slice of paradise. Lovely as it was, it was not big enough for a family of five humans and one dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WandaVision title, with a little less angst, thankfully.
> 
> I kind of like this chapter, but I may come back and edit it at some point.
> 
> I hope you enjoy, there's a small announcement in the endnotes ❤️

She couldn’t tell you why, but after getting back from New York at New Years, Daisy had been stressed. Telling everyone they were expecting twins had been exciting, but since they had returned home it had really set in for Daisy that relatively soon there would be two more humans joining their little family. Daniel, for his part, seemed to be fine. Perfectly at ease, ever the doting husband who couldn’t not stare and smile at her growing stomach whenever he had a spare minute.

She looked around at the apartment and had begun to overthink about how much their lives would have to change from their current slice of paradise. Lovely as it was, it was not big enough for a family of five humans and one dog. She had taken to spending hours scrolling through countless real estate sites in search of place where that would be a good home for their expanding family, only to become frustrated when nothing felt or looked right.

Seeing her frustrations, Daniel would wrap his arms around her and kiss her softly, reassuring her that everything would work out. As usual this calmed her for some time, but then she’d feel the gentle kicks of the two babies she was carrying, which would remind her of the time crunch they were under. And she began trawling through the websites again.

One day in early February, Daisy had enough. Sitting on the couch in Daniel’s office, she slammed the laptop shut with a huff, attracting the attention of her husband who was writing quietly at his desk, Charlotte having been taken out for a day trip to a science museum with Jemma, Fitz and Alya.

“Don’t look at me like that.” She snapped half-heartedly, not even glancing at him, choosing instead to screw her eyes shut, as she tried to relax across the couch. “I’m not trying to stress myself and the babies out Daniel. But I’m getting nowhere with the house search and the clock’s ticking. We’re under a tight deadline with these two on the way.” At his silence, she finally looked at him, to see he had that infuriatingly attractive half grin on. “What?” She questioned, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

“Go and get dressed.” He stated simply, saving the document on his computer and snapping shut the leather bound notebook he had in front of him. When his wife didn’t move from her stretched out position on the couch, but just looked at him incredulously. “Come on amada, get dressed.” He held out his hand and pulled her up to a standing position, at which she rolled her eyes at him for. She could still get up by herself. For now.

“But why?”

“Just go put some clothes on. It’ll be fun.” He said, gently pushing her towards their bedroom.

“I thought we could have fun while we had an empty apartment to ourselves?” She raised an eyebrow in his direction, watching as something flashed in his eyes, and he smirked back.

“We can get round to that later, what I have planned won’t take long.” She rolled her eyes again and wandered into the bedroom.

Thirty minutes later, she was sitting in the passenger seat as her husband drove to their undisclosed destination, fiddling with the hem of her jumper. At first Daisy thought they were headed towards May and Coulson’s but then Daniel took a different road and now she was thoroughly confused. They arrived in a nice neighbourhood, with houses that reminded Daisy of big movie family homes, the kind of home that girls growing up in orphanages idolised. It was a full on shock when Daniel pulled into the driveway of one of the houses and turned the car off.

“Daniel, what are we doing here?” She asked, looking from her husband back up to the house.

“Let’s go and have a look.” He said, letting himself out of the car.

The house itself was gorgeous, modern but with traditional features, a solid wooden front door at the end of a lit path through the front garden, with a sculpted tree on either side of the door. Daisy was in awe as Daniel took her hand and lead her up the path. He crouched and picked up a rock off to one side, proudly producing a key from underneath it with a flourish. Daisy looked at him sceptically, only to have her breath taken away when they stepped through the door. It was gorgeous, wide open spaces emphasised by the lack of furniture, a large kitchen with new worktops. A living room with a real fire, no doubt barely lit with the Californian weather. There was a stair case against one of the walls, wrapping round one corner to the bedrooms. Daisy wandered further into the space, and she was dazzled by the light flooding into the space from the large glass door off of the kitchen and dining area.

“Daniel, this is incredible. Look at the garden, is that a pool?” Approaching the backdoor, she took in the landscaped gardens, a large tree hanging over the lawn, offering shade to the green space below.

“I know the view isn’t the same, but you can see the sea from the master bedroom. And there’s a nice office. Could put a treehouse in the oak tree.” Daniel said, coming up behind her. “It’s ours, if you want it.” He said pressing a kiss to her temple.

She whirled round towards him, half laughing. “We can’t afford this, it’s way out of the budget that we discussed.”

“Well, it’s not really that far out of budget, and I got some news a couple of days ago that kind of expanded the budget.” He ran a hand through his curls, like he did every time he had something big to tell her.

“What news?” She said impatiently when he paused.

“Peggy called with an offer. To expand the Skye Trilogy, make it a saga. It’s another three book deal.”

“Daniel, that’s incredible, I’m so proud of you.” Daisy stepped closer to her husband, who hesitated for a second.

“I didn’t know whether to accept at first. I didn’t know if my writing would do a longer story justice.” She shook her head at him, but waited for him to continue. “But then, just after I got off the phone, you wandered into my office and it dawned on me how much of Skye there is still left to tell, I’ve got all these ideas and the best source of inspiration by my side, so I accepted the deal.”

“I love you Daniel, and I’m so proud of you.” She stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips, as his arms slipped around her waist. “That doesn’t explain the house though.”

“Well, since the Skye books have been a bit popular…”

“Daniel, the last one was no 1 on the bestsellers list for 7 weeks.” She interrupted him. “You need to stop doubting yourself. You’re a fantastic writer.” He blushed with her praise, ducking his head as he chuckled slightly, scratching the back of his neck and trying to change the subject.

“Well, the advance meant that our budget has expanded now. So, if you want this house, it’s ours. We deserve a place to grow old. A place that Charlie and her siblings can run and play, where we can invite everyone over for dinners and where we can just be. Together.”

And this time he didn’t hesitate when she pulled him into a kiss, something they had shared thousands of at this point, yet every one made her feeling like she was floating, the warmth it created flooding through them as they met each other in a familiar rhythm. It was in moments like this that the world seemed to stop spinning on its axis, and yet nothing had ever felt so natural.

* * *

The final morning in the apartment was bittersweet. They shared breakfast in their usual spots, just the three of them, with Cooper laying across Daisy’s feet, taking in the final sunrise as the light flooded in through the huge windows that had made Daniel fall in love with the apartment when he made the move to this coast. Charlotte chattered excitedly about her new house, and how her room was bigger and would have her big girl bed in it, in between spoonful’s of cereal. They took their time getting ready for the day, revelling in well-versed motions they would not repeat within those walls again.

Everything was packed in boxes, most of which were already at the new house, with everyone helping them move the majority of their stuff in the previous day. Coulson and May arrived to help with the last few things, as Daisy was once again told not to lift anything heavy at this point in her pregnancy and had taken to just directing everyone and entertaining Charlotte. When the last box was on the truck, the almost four-year-old took great joy in running through the empty apartment, Cooper running around after her, enjoying the unusually open space.

Daisy stood in the middle of the apartment watching them, when Daniel and May returned from the truck, Daniel nodding to her that they were ready, before taking her hand in his.

“Charlotte Grace!” Daisy called and received a thunderous response of small footsteps and clattering of paws. “It’s time to go to the new house baby, are you ready to go?” Charlotte nodded furiously, clutching her soft monkey toy under one arm, her braids bouncing as she came to a screeching halt.

“Hey Charlotte, I think Grandpa went to go and see about getting some hot chocolate? Shall we go and see him, before we head to the new house?” May said, in her soft ‘Grandma’ voice, that Daisy couldn’t help but smile at every time she heard it.

“Yes please.” Charlotte shouted, raising her arms so May could scoop her up onto her hip. May nodded to Daisy as they turned around to leave, Charlotte calling out over the older woman’s shoulder as she did. “Bye-bye house!”

Daisy let out a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sob at their perfect daughter, as all the emotions began to hit her at once. She leaned into Daniel’s side, wrapping one arm around his waist, the other falling to her side to stroke Cooper’s head as he sat loyal as ever, at her side. They didn’t need to say much, as they looked around at the bare walls, the empty rooms that held some of their dearest memories.

The memories that had been made within these walls meant so much to the both of them, and as they looked around for the last time, flashes of memories crept up on them. Daisy helping him move in, sharing somewhat tragic backstories over pizza, stumbling in the door together that first Christmas Eve when they finally realised what they meant to each other. Napping on the couch with Cooper when they first brought him home and sharing their deepest hurts while looking out onto the curve of the Bay. Going through every learning curve of being first time parents and slow dancing in the dimmed lights of the kitchen.

This apartment was where they’d fallen in love, the place that had become home to both of them. The home they had brought their daughter home to, the rooms where she’d taken her first steps and spoken her first words. The home where they laughed and cried and loved.

This next step was a good one, where they could continue to grow.

“You okay?” Daniel said quietly in to her hair as he pressed a kiss to head.

“Yeah,” she said looking up at him, before taking a final glance around the apartment, as they head to the door. The feel of his hand in her, the familiar smile he gave her when he stooped to pick up the final bag of their belongings. The knowledge that she had him on her side, no matter the place or time, made her realise that this apartment had never been the home she had found, as she had thought. Home was what she had found in him. Home was wherever they were together. Her home, her solid ground, was him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> As for a little announcement, it was just to let you know I'm thinking of putting an end to this series. It kind of an overwhelming fear that I'll let my writing decline eventually, until I don't feel great about this fic. I adore writing this little universe with my whole heart, and I do have a few more ideas for chapters based on the birth of the kids and mentioning what happened to Lincoln at some point. As I said, this is more of a thought right now, and I have no doubt that even if I did mark this as completed I would occasionally come back to pop up random chapters that I might think of. And I've still got bits of the prequel to add to at some point.
> 
> I can't thank you all enough for the support you've given this fic so far, it truly makes me so happy 💛 I truly never thought anyone would read this when I started writing it, so I'm grateful you're here 🥰
> 
> Tumblr - momentofch-aos

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for Reading! Hope you enjoyed! Comments and suggestions very welcome!


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